The Legend of Zelda: Cataclysm's requiem
by Hero's-shade
Summary: The Hero races to save a town from desruction at the hands of evil, and finds a danger far worse than what he ever bagained for. Link/Din
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This story uses the Link from the games Link to the past, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, and Link's awakening (in that particular order) and is set after the events of all of those games.

Chapter 1

Above all else, Link hated the desert.

The shifting and blowing sands were all around him, burning his eyes and and nostrils, and filling his boots with sand as he walked. A vicious sandstorm had just blown up recently, and the howling winds threatened to tear the flesh clean off of his bones. The hero could only see a few feet in front of him or behind him, as the storm obscured everything out beyond that. How he wished he wasn't out here.

"Are you all right back there, master Link?" A voice called out from somewhere ahead.

A short, middle aged man wearing a hooded cloak to protect himself from the buffeting winds walked back towards Link. "When you fell behind, I was afraid you had been attacked by a Leever or a Geldman!" This was Solon, a nomad living in the desert, whom Link had hired to act as his guide.

"No Solon, I'm fine." Link replied, shielding his face from the blowing sands with his arm. "Let's keep moving." The guide nodded, and they continued their march forward.

Link had first met Solon when he had came out into the Desert of Mystery, on his quest to find the pendant of Power. The old Nomad had been a thief in Kakariko Village, until he moved out to the desert to get away from his old life of crime. When Link found him, he was pretending to be a crazy old hermit, so people would leave him alone. In exchange for keeping the old man's secret, Solon had opened a locked Treasure chest for the hero, and still aided him when he needed help in the Desert.

As they trekked across the endless sea of sand, Link held his green hat down tightly on his head, to keep it from blowing off. "How much farther is it, Solon?" The hero asked in an annoyed voice.

"Not much farther, my friend!" The desert nomad replied, smiling. "Soon, you will have what you came for!"

"Great..." Link replied, as he thought back to exactly what he had come here for...

Kakariko Village, three days ago-

Link had been summoned to Kakariko village by Sharalsha, the town elder, on an urgent matter that required the hero's attention.

"The town of Ruto's water supply has been cursed Link!" Saralsha told the Hero solemnly. "Anyone who drinks the foul water falls into a sleep from which they do not awaken!"

"But what can I do to help, elder?" Link asked, puzzled. "I can't lift curses! I'm a hero, not a mage!"

"There is an old tale of an enchanted trophy that can remove and purify curses." The elder replied, stroking his long, white beard. "It was once used by the Gerudo to purify their water supplies in the Desert."

"...And you want me to retrieve the Trophy!" Link said, a smile creeping across his face. "Now that I can do! Where does the story say this trophy can be found now?"

"The legend says the Gerudo sealed the trophy in a cave for safekeeping, before fleeing from the desert when the flood waters covered Hyrule." Sharalsha pointed at a map of Hyrule on the wall. "When the flood waters drained away, the Gerudo never reclaimed the trophy when they returned to the desert... and it is believed to be there still."

"Then I shall find it!" Link proclaimed boldly.

--

Link wondered about that promise now, as he walked deeper into the desert of mystery than he ever had before. The hero said a silent prayer to the goddesses that there were no Gerudo bands patrolling the area, lest they attack two thieves trying to steal one of their ancient treasures. "Gerudoes attacking thieves... now there's irony for you." The hero said to himself with a chuckle.

"We're here, master Link!" Solon said suddenly. Looking up, Link found himself facing a large rock wall, eroded heavily by the desert. In the center was a large slab, with the ancient Hylian language written on it. "Door is supposed to weigh a hundred tons ... how you gonna get in?" Solon asked incredulously.

"Like this." Link replied smugly. Reaching into his bag, the hero pulled out a pair of large golden gauntlets, and slipped them on. "These little beauties are called the Titan's mitts... now watch!" Link easily picked up the slab, and hurled it away like a child's toy. The large door flew several hundred feet into the air, and the two Hylians heard it go crashing down somewhere off in the distance.

"That... was incredible!" Solon said in amazement.

"These things give me the strength of a hundred gorons." He walked into the entrance of the cave. "You wait here, just inside the entrance, I'll be back soon."

"Yes master Link!" Solon replied eagerly. "I don't wanna tangle with whatever nasties are in there anyway!"

Nodding, Link pulled out his lantern, and lit it. As he descended into the cave, the hero focused his attention to the matter at hand. The darkness of the cave seemed to close in on Link, the meager light of his lamp being the only thing that held it at bay. Their was only total and utter silence surrounding him, which made the hero all the more nervous. There had to be air getting into the cave somehow, Link realized, as he had no trouble breathing.

As he pressed forward, the tiny cave opened into a large, vaulted cavern. Looking around at the ceiling, Link saw the walls decorated with both ancient Hylian writing, and Zuna Hieroglyphics. "Nice atmosphere...I love the decor" Link muttered to himself. It was just then that the hero noticed several large stone coffins arranged in a circle around a large pedestal. And there, on the pedestal, stood the very object that Link was looking for, a large golden trophy that glinted in the darkness.

"Okay, I've been in enough dungeons to know what's gonna happen here." Link thought to himself. "I snag that trophy, and a whole swarm Stalfos or redead or something comes pouring out of those coffins to devour my brains." Setting down the lantern, Link reached into his bag again. "Well, let's see if I can't outsmart this little trap." Pulling out his hookshot, he aimed carefully for the trophy. He fired the hookshot, the chain shot out and...

SPROING! It snatched the trophy, and brought it safely back into Link's waiting arms. Just then, Link heard several rumbling sounds, as the lids on the sarcophagi began to slide off, and several bandaged figures began to emerge.

"Gibidos... great." Link muttered to himself. Turning around, he grabbed his lantern from the flor, and dashed back towards the entrance.

Link was almost to the opening that led outside, when a large black blade swung up right in front of his throat, stopping him dead in his tracks. "That's far enough boy." A raspy voice that sounded just like his own hissed. "I'll be taking that trophy, Thank you."

"Wha?" Link looked over and saw a shadowy version of himself with red glowing eyes holding a sword at his throat. Even though Link had never seen this creature before, he immediately knew what he was. "Shadow Link?! What in Din's fire are you doing here?!"

"Oh, just preventing you from ruining my plans is all." The evil shade said with a smirk. "Who do you think it was who had the Wizzrobes curse Ruto town's water supply? I'm sure the townspeople will surrender their town to Ganon's army, in exchange for having their water purified and the cursed sleeping citizens cured. But I can't do that if you bring that trophy back, now can I?" He pushed the blade right up against Link's throat. "Hand it over!"

Unable to reach his sword, Link had no choice but to fork over the trophy. Sneering, Shadow Link also grabbed the Hero's lantern. "Oh, and I'll take these, as well!" He replied, pointing to the golden gauntlets. Link took them off, and tossed them to shadow Link.

"Thank you for being so cooperative hero." He looked back outside the cave. "Servant! Put these gauntlets on my arms, and grab the trophy!"

"Coming, master!" Solon replied, running into the cave, and doing as Shadow Link commanded.

"Solon!?" Link yelled in anger and surprise. "You vile little-"

"I offered him more Rupees than you did." Shadow Link replied. "He was secretly leading me here when he was leading you here, as well."

"You really should pay more, Master Link." Solon mocked.

"And now, I leave the Gibido to their meal." Shadow Link said smugly, pulling his sword away from Link's throat, and kicking im back against the wall. "Try not to give them indigestion!"

By the time the infuriated Link Leaped back to his feet and drew his sword, Shadow Link had already used the gauntlets to reseal the cave's entrance with a large boulder. Behind him, Link could already hear the sounds of the Gibidos shuffling towards him in the dark.

"Great...just...Great" link muttered. As the bandaged mummies surged forward, Link wildly swung his sword around in the dark. He could hear the screams of the mummies again and again, and felt his sword hack into several of the creatures' limbs, and he felt a thick liquid begin to ooze out over his wrist as he sliced. He could tell he was causing the Gibdoes pain, even if he couldn't see it. Finally, several of them managed to pin him down, swarming all over the hero.

Link struggled against the Gibdos, their rotting, bandaged hands grabbing at his green tunic,tearing it. The stench of their decomposing flesh nearly overwhelmed Link, but he held on. Getting one hand free he was able to reach down into his pouch, he dug around, desperately searching for the one item that could get him out of this mess. And just as several Gibdoes teeth began to sink into his flesh, he found what he was looking for.

"Eat fire rod, Pussbags!"

Whipping out the fire rod, he sent a stream of flames hurling at his tormentors. They were all driven back, as the red hot flames came roaring towards them. Many of the Gibidos burst into flames instantly, and began running around the cavern in a panic, like cuccos with their heads cut off. Swinging his sword in one hand, and spewing flames out of the rod in the other,the Hero sliced and burned his way through the swarm, covering the entire cave in burned gibdo parts, and black ooze.

Finally, Link ceased his frenzied attack. All of the Gibdoes were either dead, or had fled back into the depths of the cave. Gasping for air, Link looked back at the sealed entrance. "Only one way out of this place." He said to no one in particular. Pulling a bomb out of his pouch, he lit the fuse, set it at the door, and ran back into the cave. A massive explosion rocked the desert, as the entrance to the cave was blasted wide open.

Link stumbled out into the sands, glad to be out of that Gibdo-infested hole. After feeling the monster's wrecthed skin -blackened and covered with pus-filled sores- against his own flesh, the searing and howling winds of the desert felt like little more than a warm spring breeze to him now. Looking down at himself, he noticed his tunic was half torn off of his body, and he was covered with scratches and bites all over his body. His hands were covered in dried blood, both the Gibdos, and his own.

"Oh Goddesses... I'm a mess." he thought to himself. What was he going to do now? Link would have to go back and tell Saralsha he had failed, and that the people of Ruto were doomed. Cursing under his breath, we swore he would make Shadow Link pay, once he got out of this desert...

That is, if he got out of this desert.

With no guide to aid him, Link began to walk forward, with no particular destination in mind. Eventually, he reasoned, he would have to come to _something_. He continued to walk for what seemed an eternity, growing more weary with each step he took. Soon, the sandstorm ended, and the hot desert sun was beating down upon him. Link had lost all track of time, and felt his eyes becoming heavy. As his last ounce of strength failed him, the Hero collapsed onto the sand.

"So this is how it ends, huh?" Link thought to himself. Looking up into the sky, he saw several helmaroc Vultures circling overhead. "Don't worry, you guys will have your meal soon enough!" The hero managed to rasp out. "Better you gnawing on my innards than those damn mummies!"

The Hero know that this was the end... after all of his adventures, he was finally going to die. Well, at least he had lived a full life! And surely the Hero of Time, the Hero of Twilight, the Hero of the Winds, and all of his other ancestors would welcome him into the halls of the dead with a great feast!

It was then that Link began to hallucinate- seeing all the people who had been important in his life... his uncle, who had raised him, and taught him the way of the sword. Saralsha, who had taught the lore of ancient Hyrule, and had explained exactly what it meant to be a hero. He also thought of Bippin and Blossom, the young couple who had made Link the godfather of their child. The boy so wanted to grow up to be just like Link ... his hero.

And he thought of the girls, as well. Zelda, the kind princess of Hyrule, who he had rescued from the dungeons of the Wizard Agahnim, and who he could never be with, as their two bloodlines must never cross. He thought of Maple, the young witch-in-training who he kept crashing into whenever she rode on her broomstick. Although she said she found Link annoying, he was sure she had a crush on him. And then there was Marin, the singing beauty of Kolnohoit island, whom he would never see again. He wondered... if any of them knew he was about to die... would any of them shed a tear?

Just then, Link imagined he heard several horses come galloping up, and soon saw several Gerudo warrior women standing over him. "Now this is a strange Mirage." The hero thought to himself. Out from among them, a Beautiful red haired Half-Gerudo came running up to him.

"LINK! What are you doing out here, are you all right?!" Her long red ponytail, and pointed ears seemed familiar to his hazy mind... who was it?

Din...yes... the Dancer from Holodrum, the Oracle of Seasons whom he had saved from Onox, general of darkness. How fitting that this girl named for the goddess of power should be the last hallucination he see before moving on to the afterlife, for she was the one he felt the most for. As the last bits of his consciousness drained away from him, he imagined he felt himself lifted on to a wooden cart, with Din gently cradling his head in her lap. Then, closing his eyes, the Hero drew what he believed to be his last breath.

And with that, the Hero of Cataclysm's eve knew no more.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Link's eyes fluttered open, and he awoke to the sound of a gentle voice softly humming a tune. Above him, he saw the roof of the structure he was laying in, and felt a cool, moist towel being placed on his forehead. Then, Din's beautiful face came into his line of sight again, looking down on him with a sweet smile.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Hero." She said with a smirk.

"Then... I'm not dead?" Link asked, sitting up.

"Well, you almost were, judging by those wounds." She replied, dunking the moist towel in the water again. "But according to the Gerudo physician who treated you, you'll live."

"Din... thank you so much for saving me." The hero embraced her in a warm hug. The Oracle of Seasons, startled by this at first, quickly hugged him back... though she was glad Link couldn't see the warm blush spreading across her face.

Finally pulling away, Link took a good look at his surroundings. The hero noticed he was in a brownish-grey tent, with a bull's skull, scimitars, and feathers decorating the sides of the tent. "So... we're in a gerudo encampment?" He asked.

She sighed. "Yes, this is a Gerudo encampment. They move all over the desert, as you know, pitching their tents wherever they can find water for the night." Din looked down at him. "I was out with one of the patrols that came across an almost-dead hero dying in the desert."

"Ok, but... what are you doing here with them, instead of being with your dance troupe?" Link asked curiously. "I thought you guys were still touring Holodrum."

"Hey, I'm half-Gerudo, remember?" She answered sarcastically. "Shortly after you saved both Holodrum and Labyrinia, the troupe broke up, and we all went our separate ways. I came back here, to stay with my mother's people for awhile." She looked away. "What happened to you, Link? Last thing we had heard, you had been lost at sea during a storm!"

Link closed his eyes. "Yeah, there was a shipwreck...I washed up on an island called Kolnohoit." Link remembered the Beautiful Marin, who was lost to him forever. "It's... something I'd rather not talk about." He replied painfully.

"O-ok, if you say so." She went over, and put the wet towel and water basin on a nearby table. "I'm just glad you're all right, Link."

"Thanks" He replied simply. As he looked Din up and down, he noticed she was no longer wearing her full dancer's outfit from Holodrum. Instead, she wore the baggy pants and Halter top that the other Gerudo women wore, only din's pants had see-through legs. She still had the same long red hair, tied back into a ponytail, and those same burning red eyes that Link swore could see into his soul...

"You have a staring problem?" She asked him, annoyed.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." He replied sheepishly, surprised she had noticed him looking.

To be honest, Link was greatly attracted to the young oracle of Seasons; he loved her upbeat personality, her intelligence, her graceful movement when she danced. But Link would never admit that to her, however, out of fear of how Din might respond. He really hadn't known her that long, and Link had made a total fool out of himself the first time Din had asked him to dance with her. If the hero told her how he felt, the Oracle of Seasons would probably freak out, and never want to speak to him again. No, he would suffer in silence, rather than risk losing her friendship, which was far more important to him than any romance.

Drying her hands, Din got up to leave. "I hope your feeling better, because the tribe's chief wants to speak with you as soon as you are up."

"Really?" Link asked, curious. "About what?"

"Oh I don't know." She replied sarcastically, folding her arms across her chest. "Something about an enchanted Trophy taken from a tomb."

At that, Link gulped.

--

Shadow Link reached the top of death mountain, a sinister smile crossing his face. He had outwitted that foolish Hero, and taken the trophy from him without even breaking a sweat. Oh, he was sure that impudent whelp would survive his little encounter with the Gibidos... he was from the house of Link, after all... but he doubted he would have to worry about the boy threatening his plans anytime soon.

The evil shade looked around at the ominous peaks of the mighty mountain. Once home to the peaceful Gorons, Death Mountain was now a stronghold for Ganon's army. The ancient Goron Caves made an excellent place for monsters to hide and store stolen loot. And sine the Volcano had finally gone dormant about a century ago, the monsters now had free reign over the entire mountain. (Except for that old hermit living in one of the caves... he remained alive only because his foolish courage at staying amused the monsters.)

Behind him, Shadow Link read the rasping and gasping for breath of Solon, who had lugged the trophy all the way up the mountain trail. "Ok, I brougt this thing here, just like you asked." Solon wheezed out, setting the trophy down. "Now, before I return to the desert, I want the reward you promised me!"

"You've played your part, fool." Shadow Link replied. "You can go now." Picking up Solon by the throat, he hurled him clear over the cliff. The nomad screamed, as he plummeted down towards the Jagged rocks below. "Good help is so had to find these days!" The Shade added with a cruel laugh.

Spinning around, he picked up the trophy, and carried it towards a large structure sitting atop the mountain. The tower of Hera had been retaken by Ganon's army after the Hero had defeated Moldorm and claimed the pendant of Courage from the tower. Now, it served as Shadow Link's base, from which he plotted his next scheme against the Hylian people.

As Shadow Link entered the large stone citadel, a voice echoed through the darkness. "You have done well to bring that trophy back here, my friend, lest all of our plans be brought to ruin."

"Cut the theatrics, Phantom Ganon, we have work to do!" Shadow Link snapped in disgust. "Is the next part of our plan ready?"

The dark shadow of Phantom Ganon materialized above him, floating in midair. "Of, course, my friend. Our armies are preparing to march on Katsuto town as we speak."

"Good, good!" Shadow Link said with a smile. "I want that town burned to the ground, as an example to any in Hyrule who do not surrender to us!"

"But what of the King, and the royal army?" Phantom Ganon asked. "Surely they will retaliate."

"Have no fear, my partner." Shadow Link replied, looking over at the trophy. "We will have a way to deal with them soon enough."

--

Link felt nervous, standing there in before the chief. She was sitting on a silk cushion, wearing an aquamarine colored crown, and speaking to her advisers. The Hero could she she was probably as old as Sharalsha, and most likely just as wise. Link kept looking from them, to Din, who was standing on the other side. Finally, the chief dismissed her advisers, looked up to Link, and spoke.

"It has come to my attention, Hero, that someone has broken into our sacred crypts, and stolen an ancient artifact of our people." She told him candidly. "Would you, perchance, know anything about this?"

Link took a deep breath. "I more than know about it, your majesty... I am the one who broke into the tomb."

Several voices of shock and surprise rose throughout the tent. Looking over at Din, Link she looked like she was about to cry.

"This comes as a horrible shock, that the Hero of Hyrule would commit such a shameful act." The chief narrowed her eyes at him. "But the question I would now ask, is why?"

"Because, your majesty, the Town of Ruto needed the artifact in order to survive." The Hero proclaimed boldly. "Their water supply has been cursed by the Wizzrobes, and Sharalsha told me only the magical properties of the trophy from that tomb could save the town."

"But why did you not just come to us, and ask for permission to enter the tomb?" The queen asked. "With lives at stake, we would not have refused you!"

"There was no time, your majesty. Your tribe is always moving about the desert, and there was no way to locate you." Link replied. "Besides, Shadow Link was able to grab the Trophy from me anyway."

"Thank you for your honesty, hero." The chief replied. "Now, you are dismissed. I will discuss this matter with my advisers, then tell you of my decision."

Bowing, Link leaves the chief's tent, and goes outside to wait. He is quickly joined by Din.

"So are you upset about what I did?" Link asked sheepishly.

"I was at first." She replied, cocking an eyebrow. "But I realize you did what you had to do to save lives." She put her hand on his shoulder. "But please Link... don't do something like that again."

Link simply nodded.

It wasn't long before they were called back before the chief, and she gave her judgement on the matter.

"Since the Gerudo people are indebted to the Hero's bloodline for past heroic actions, I shall forgive this transgression." The chief then raised her hand "However, it is also my decision that one of our tribe shall accompany you on your mission to recover the trophy from Shadow Link... and see it safely delivered to Ruto town."

Before anyone could say anything, Din suddenly piped up. "I'll go, my lady!"

"What!?" one of the Gerudo women replied angrily. She stood up, and walked over where Din was standing. "Surely you would not let this half-breed dancer go in place of a true Gerudo warrior! She is not even worthy of-"

Before the woman could finish, Din had spun her around, pinned her down, and had her own sword at the woman's throat.

"I received some training while I've been here. Augmented by my acrobatic skills from dancing." Din said coldly. "Now, what was that you were saying about me being a 'half-breed'?"

"No-nothing." The Gerudo woman replied. Din let the woman up, and handed her back her sword.

"Very well then, it is decided." The Chief decreed. "Link and Din shall retrieve the trophy, and defeat shadow Link." She stared at both of them intently. "Good Luck... and may the goddesses be with you both."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Link, are you all right?"

"Yeah, sorry... just having a hard time keeping up."

Din looked back over her shoulder at the Hero, and sighed. Link was clumsily stumbling along through the shifting sands, as the desert did it's best to slow them down. "Hurry up! The sun will be up soon, and we'll want to make camp!"

"Why are we only traveling at night?" Link asked, almost out of breath.

"Because it's cooler at night, and we won't get burned up by the sun." Din answered

"Oh... good point. Hadn't thought of that." The Hero replied sheepishly.

They continued to trek along through the last remnants of the sandstorm, pounded by the still-howling winds. Din pulled her veil over her face to keep the sand out of her mouth, and Link pulled his hat down over his face. This seemed to only challenge the pounding winds, as they appeared to grow even more fierce with every step.

They had left the Gerudo camp at sunset yesterday, and had journeyed across the desert all night. Now, as the first rays of dawn began to creep over the great eastern sky, the two travelers began to set up camp, and preared to rest for the day. Soon the were in their tent, unrolling their sleeping bags.

"Well, our gear is covered, and protected from the sand." Din commented. "We should be good until we're ready to travel again this evening."

"That's good." Link replied, lying down. "It still feels wierd traveling only at night." He looked over at the girl lying across from him. "So how've you been, Din? I haven't talked to you since the Holodrum incident."

Din shrugged. "Oh, you know how it is... there's always a place for a talented dancer." She rolled her eyes. "It's a good way to make a living, traveling from place to place, dancing for your supper, working in seedy taverns where men can't keep their hands to themselves." She rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Well, have you ever thought of quitting, and settling down in one spot?" Link asked nonchalantly.

"Not really. The life of the road... the life of freedom.. that's the life for me." Din looked away. "I could never imagine being tied down to one place -one small town full of people- for my entire life. How anyone can wake up to the same sights every day... with nothing new ever happening, day after day... is beyond me."

"It doesn't have to be that way, Din." Link sat up. Reaching over, the hero gently put his hand on her shoulder. "As the hero, I travel everywhere, and my life is anything but dull. And besides, wouldn't it be nice to have a place to call home, that you can come back to? Or wouldn't it even be nice to have someone to go on life's journey with?"

At that moment, the Oracle of Seasons quickly brushed his hand off. "No Link, it's not. I'm sorry, but I won't let myself be tied to anyone or anything."

The hero looked at her, startled. "What? Why, Din?"

Din closed her eyes. "Because ... I opened my heart up to someone before... and I had that heart shattered into tiny little pieces." Her voice dripped with bitterness. "I trusted someone with my feelings before, and they betrayed me. I'm never going to let that happen again."

"Din... I'm so sorry..." Link replied sympathetically.

She shook her head. "It's okay, Link... and thank you... for being such a good friend."

Nodding, Link laid back down, and tried to go to sleep. But he couldn't get what Din had told him out of his head. She must have had her heart broken while he was away at Kolnohoit Island... the poor girl! It pained him to see her so hurt over what that guy had done to her. Now, she may never trust anyone with her heart again.

As Link looked at her graceful, sleeping form, he wished he could make her understand that not everyone was out to break her heart... that there were good men out there who wouldn't hurt her, and would never let her hurt like that again.

If only she would give him a chance...

--

The next day, the two of them arrived at the edge of the desert, and approached the borders of Hyrule's swamp. Link noticed a very gradual change as the harsh, lifeless tundra of the sands gave way to the to the marshy grasslands of south Hyrule field. It was long before the desert's dry heat melted away before the intense humidity, and the two of them were beset by the swamp's annoying horde of insects.

"Ouch! Damn mosquitoes!" Din yelled, slapping one of the bugs that bit her.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to them." Link laughed, amused to now have Din on _his_ home turf._ "_Besides, they won't take more than thier fair share!"

"Ha ... ha." Din replied dryly, glaring at him. "I don't understand how you Hyrulians can live in such a harsh environment."

"This coming from a desert dweller!" Link laughed scarcastically. Din scowled and said nothing.

Soon, the two of them began to large, crumbling columns sticking up out of the murky pools of marsh water. As they slogged towards the center of the swamp, a large crumbling structure came into view.

"The swamp ruins." Link said simply. "They were built in old Hyrule in the time before the great flood. The Hylia used the clockwork gear systems inside to control the water levels."

"You mean... this structure dates from the Hero of Time's era?" Din asked in surprise. "It must be well built to have survived for over a thousand years!" She walked towards the building. "How does it work?"

"The Pulley system inside raises and lowers the water levels." Link awnsered "I once used it to drain the entire swamp!"

"You little troublemaker!" Din laughed.

Just then, she swore she heard a faint noise from inside the the ruins. "Wait... what has that?"

"What was what?" Link asked, but Din was already running towards the entrance. By the time the Hero had caught up with her, she was already to the door.

"Hey, what're you-" Link started to ask, but was cut off by a wave of Din's hand. Inside the ruins, the two of them heard two brutish voices talking.

"Master will be happy... if we flood entire Hyrule field!" One chuckled.

"Yeah, master will be happy! Hyrule Castle... Kakariko village... all washed away!" The other one laughed back.

"Moblins ...great." Link growled, recognising their pattern of speech. "And they're gonna try and flood Hyrule field... again!"

"Then we should do something about it, right?" Din pulled out her scimitars.

Smiling, the Hero nodded, and drew his sword and shield.

The moblin closest to the door never knew what hit him, as the Gerudo dancer's blades spun in a graceful arc, cutting the monster in half. A second moblin charged towards her, spear in hand... until Link's sword beam caught the beast in the chest, vaporising him with a scream.

"Link! There's more than just the two in here!" Din yelled, as more Moblins cam charging towards them.

Link blocked a spear thrust with his shield, then chopped the moblin carrying it's head off. Leaping over his head, Din brought both of her swords down, and sent a stream of Fire from each blade. The flames engulfed several Moblins, roasting them alive.

"Din's Fire." Link whispered under his breath, smirking. As the Oracle of Seasons, Din could easily use the magic of the Goddess for which she was named. Both of them continued to cut down Moblin after moblin, as even more continued to pour in through the entrance. Soon, the two of them were surrounded, with no possible route of escape.

"Link, we're trapped!" Din screamed. "There's two many of them!"

"Then let's shake things up a bit, shall we?" The Hero pulled out a small medallion- a quake medallion- which contained the earthquake spell.

"Link, no! You could damage the machinery, and flood all of Hyrule!" Din shrieked.

The Hero crushed the Medallion anyway, and it sent out a wave of energy. The ground beneath their feet began to shake, as the spell took effect. Din covered her eyes, and she could hear moblins scream and die violently around her as everything shook and tumbled about. She cried out Link's name, as it felt like the whole world around her was coming to a violent end...

**To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-

As she opened her eyes, Din wondered if the world had come to an end.

Her head still spinning, the Oracle of Seasons picked herself up off of the floor, and dusted herself off. As her vision began to clear, she saw the room around her was a disaster area; there was rubble everywhere, and she was surrounded by the dead bodies of moblins.

"Well, they certainly won't be bothering us again." She muttered sarcastically.

Just then, she realized that someone very important was missing. "LINK!" she shrieked. Scurrying around the room in a panic, the Oracle searched frantically for the hero. It wasn't long before she heard a familiar groan from under one of the piles of rubble.

"Link!" she yelled again, running over to dig him out. "Great Goddesses, are you okay, Link?" Din asked, as she cleared the debris off of him.

"Ugh... did Moosh sit on me again?" the Hero replied groggily.

Din had to tried to stifle a laugh. "I'm just glad you're okay."

As she helped Link up, he looked away from her. "I'm sorry Din... you were right, I shouldn't have used the spell medallion in such close quarters. That was a stupid trick I pulled."

She looked back towards the flood control lever. "Well, at least the machinery doesn't look damaged."

"Maybe... but you still could've gotten hurt." He shook his head in anger. "That's one stupid stunt I won't pull again."

"Why did those creatures want to flood Hyrule field, Link?" The Oracle asked, puzzled. "And when they said their master would be pleased... did they mean Ganon?"

The Hero shook his head. "No. As far as I know, the evil king is still dead... Sharalsha would have told me if he had been resurrected again." His eyes narrowed. "It's got to be Shadow Link! He's the one who attacked me in the desert. I wonder what he's up to this time?"

"I don't know, but we'd better get out of here." Din repiled, as she helped the still groggy Link towards the door. "But what are we going to do now?"

"We need to go see Sharalsha the Sage." The Hero replied. "But first... we need to get to the Castle, and warn the royal family what's going on."

Standing in the Center of Hyrule field, the Royal Palace was a large, walled structure surrounded by a moat. Several guards stood posted along the walls, giving the place an almost fortress-like feel. Once, a castle town had surrounded the castle. But after Vaati the Wind mage's first attack during the Picori festival over two centuries ago, the King of that time had ordered the town demolished for security reasons, and relocated the displaced inhabitants to the nearby Kakariko village. As Link and Din approached, the Oracle of Seasons almost felt ...overwhelmed.

"Link... this place is so... big!" She said in awe, as they passed through the main gate. "We don't have anything like this back in Holodrum!"

"Every king of Hyrule has had the palace remodeled a bit during their reigns." Link smiled. "And it's built over the ruins of where the old Hyrule castle from before the flood was believed to be, so there's all sorts of tunnels and secret passages running underneath this place. Zelda and I once used them to escape from the castle when the Wizard Aganim..."

The Hero trailed off when he noticed that Din wasn't even paying attention to him, and was instead admiring the lush red carpets. "In her own little world." Link sighed, and followed her up the Stairs.

As they approached the throne room, several armored guards moved to stop them... until they saw Link's green tunic. They then immediately snapped to attention.

"Welcome back, Sir." Thew captain of the guard saluted. "Was your trip to the desert a success?"

"I'm afraid not, captain." THe Hero frowned. "I need to see the king immediately!"

"Oh, well and your gerudo ... friend can go right on in." The Captain replied. As they walked past him, Din shot the captain an evil glare.

"Stupid, biogted soldier!" The Oracle muttered under her breath.

"Prejudice is something Hyrulians don't let go of easily, I'm afraid" Link replied sadly.

When they reached the throne room, link and Din bowed before the King of Hyrule. At his side was Princess Zelda, whom both Link and Din recognised.

"Ah! Greetings, my boy!" The King greeted him, making a gesture with his arm. "I am pleased you have returned!"

"Thank you, your majesty... but we have a terrible problem." Link and Din then informed the King and Zelda about what had happened with the trophy, and at the swamp ruins.

"This is most distressing news." Zelda finally said, after they had finished. "And you think Shadow Link is behind the flooding attempt?"

"Yes." Din replied. "But we have no idea how that ties back into his plot with Ruto town!"

"That is not the only problem your dark twin has been causing, lad." The king replied."For we have received word that Shadow Link has assembled an army of monsters at the Tower of Hera, high atop death mountain."

"And we have no idea what he intends to do with them." Zelda finished.

"We've got to get up there!" Link replied excitedly. "He's probably planning to invade Hyrule!"

The King shook his head. "We'll see to shadow Link my boy. We need you two to go seek out Sharalsha, the great sage of Hyrule. His wisdom may shed light on these matters."

"You can find him at the Eastern Palace." Zelda added. "Where he has gone to commune with the spirits of our ancestors."

"Hey!" Din yelled out angrily. "We're here to retrieve the Trophy, so we can help Ruto town! We don't have time to play messenger for the Royal family!"

"Din, we don't have time for this." Zelda replied impatiently. "The very fate of Hyrule could be at stake!"

"Well exuuuuse me, princess!" Din replied angrily. "But I'm not exactly one of your subjects you can order around!"

The king looked down at the stubborn Oracle of Seasons darkly. "Link could you please keep your "pet" gerudo quiet when we're discussing important business?"

Din looked like jhe was about to explode, when Link grabbed her shoulder. "Come on Din, let's just go." He whispered. "We can settle this later."

Grumbling, the Oracle of Sages followed the Hero out, ignoring the catcalls from the guards.

"Hey Hero! Nice plaything you got there!"

"Is that desert fox any good in the sack?"

"Just ignore those idiots." Link growled. But he could see the quiet tears welling up in Din's eyes. Link wished he could punch everyone one of those smart-mouthed guards in the mouth, then take Din into his arms and comfort her. But he knew he couldn't do either.

"Come on." The Oracle of Seasons replied in a shaky voice. "Let's just get out of here."

Link nodded silently. As they approached the gate, Link thought back to Din's outburst in the throne room. "Well, excuuuuuuse me princess' huh?" He thought silently to himself with a smirk. "yes, I'll have to remember that one..."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5-

As the skies over Katsuto were filled with the last rays of the evening sun, the soft quiet of evening set in over the town. Merchants began closing up their stalls for the night, and the evening watch patrolled the streets. A few stray children were still at play, as their parents called to them to come inside. It seemed that this would be as uneventful as any other night, in a small town where nothing ever seemed to happen. Many of the guards were hoping for a transfer to Hyrule Castle, where all of the action was. Oh there had been news of what had happened at Ruto town, and a rumor had spread in the marketplace that Ganon's legion's were threatening to attack the town, but certainly that was just simple wives' gossip, wasn't it? Why on earth would Shadow Link even think about attacking some place as insignificant and backward as Katsuto?

Little Mika had said goodbye her friends, was making her way home. Pausing, she lifted her soft blue eyes to the heavens, and made a wish on a shooting star that the weather would be nice tomorrow so she could go outside and play again. It was then that the little girl noticed what looked like a large, black... bird, or something... flying towards the town. Sqinting her eyes to get a better look, she saw -as the thing got closer- that there were several other flying creatures behind the first one, though they were much smaller. She could also make out several small dark shapes riding on the back of the largest creature...

...on the back of a Gleeock...

The village's alarms soon rose, piercing the calm stillness of the evening. From the east, a horde of Moblins and Stalfos rushed towards the town walls. As the civilians scurried into the shelters, the men and women of Kasuto's town guard grabbed thier bows and swords, and raced to their posts. The defenses held at first, as the guard launched volley after volley of arrows from their bows, killing hundreds of the invading monsters. But soon, the Gleeock arrived, and sent fire reigning down on the Town from it's three dragon heads. A squad of Darknuts and their Iron Knuckle commander leapt off the dragon's back, smashing down into the streets of the town, and attacking the guards.

"The first attack was a distraction! We were trick-" One of the guards cried out, as a darknut cut him down. The defenders fought valiantly, but were no match for the skilled armored monsters. As the last of the towns guards fell, the citizens came running out of the burning shelters. Keese swarmed over the frightened townsfolk, scattering them in a panic.

Soon, the Moblins and Stalfos came pouring over the walls. "Go, and Kill!" the Iron Knuckle growled in the Moblin's guttural language. "Make the streets run red with rivers of Hylian blood!" The monsters carried this out on the town's inhabitants with fiendish glee, and their gruesome handiwork soon lay everywhere.

Far away from the burning town, the several dozen survivors hurried across the landscape, praying the monsters hadn't spotted them escape in the chaos. They wept bitterly for the thousands who had perished, and swore in their hearts that a new Katsuto Town would rise elsewhere. Among them, little Mika looked back at the burning town, and said a silent farewell to the only home she had ever known.

--

As Link and Din approached the Eastern Palace, they noticed the serene stillness that seemed to hang around the place. A haunting silence swirled in the air around them, filling the young pair with wonder.

"Keep a sharp eye, Din." Link said cautiously. "Monsters tend to prowl around this area."

Din looked around at the ruins of what looked like a Town or city. "Link, are these ruins ... from old Hyrule... the time before the flood?"

"No." The Hero shook his head. "These are the remains of the village of the Blue Maiden, a town that stood in front of the Eastern Palace a few centures ago." He looked over his shoulder. "It used to be the home to one of the six shrine maidens. The village was abandoned a few months after an incident where a bunch of children vanished through dark world portals, and a local guild of Mages were blamed." Link gave a smirk. "One of my ancestors help solve that little problem."

"You have a lot of heroic ancestors." Din said with a smile. "And you know a lot of Hyrule's history."

Link just shrugged. "My uncle used to tale me stories of Hyrule's heroic pasts." His voice trailed off. "Of my ancestors, the great Heroes..."

"You're uncle sounds like he was a great man." Din replied sympathetically "You must miss him a lot."

"Each and every day." Link looked away. "I was so happy after he recovered after I defeated Ganon. But when I came back from my adventure on Kolnohoit island... and I found out he had died while I was gone..."

Din laid a hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met, and both of them smiled at the same time. But before Din could react, Link suddenly grabbed her, and pulled her behind a crumbling wall.

"Link!" She shriekied. "What the h-"

"Quiet!" He barked, drawing his sword. "Look over there."

She followed his gaze, and saw two... Lizard Men, with large fins on their heads, and carrying axes... step out of the shadows.

"What in the name of Nayru are those?" She whispered.

"Lizalfos" Link Spat. "From the Dairia tribe, judging from those head fins."

"What do they want here?" Din asked.

Link thought for a moment. "They must be after Sharalsha. Dark Link must've heard he's here!" Link ran forward impulsively. "We've got to save him!"

"Link, wait!" Din yelled after him. "We should have a plan!"

Ignoring her, the hero ran forward, slashing his sword. The Daira easily blocked it with his ax, and swung his weapon at Link, who dodged.

"Men..." Din growled, drawing her scimitar. "What do they have against thinking before jumping in?"

A Daria threw a small axe at Din, which she deflected with her blade. It spat a fireball at her, and she leapt over it. Jumping at the Lizalfos with a dancer's grace, her whirling scimitars took it's head off in one clean cut. Link cut down the one he was facing, and rushed over to where she stood.

"I was impulsive again." He said sheepishly. "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes. "Fight now, talk later."

Three more Lizalfos came rushing up, drawn by all the commotion. The hero threw his boomerang, which immediately knocked one down. Link rushed up and stabbed it in the chest, just as a second Dairia dove at him. But Din intercepted it first, stabbing the monster in the chest. Seeing it was outmatched, the third one tried to run away, but was struck down by an arrow in the back.

"Woah, nice shooting" Link said in surprise. "I'm really glad I gave you that bow!"

"I'm half Gerudo." she replied with a smirk. "I was trained by the best."

Before Link could reply, at least fifty more Lizalfos began appearing out of the ruins, growling and brandishing their axes.

"Uh oh." Link said in a worried tone. "I think we found the rest of the tribe."

"No, really?" Din replied sarcastically. "What was your first clue?"

Both of them readied their weapons. But before the Dairia could charge, and energy bolt suddenly came out of nowhere, and began striking them one by one. Each one that was heat by the bean was instantly encased in ice. Some of them tried to flee, but soon they were all frozen solid.

"What the godesses was that?" Link asked in shock.

"Looks like an ice rod's magic." but who-"

"Hello, young ones!" An elderly man's voice called out. As he approached, they could see he had a long, white beard, and carried an ice rod. "What brings you two here?"

"Hello, Sharalsha!" Link replied, smiling. "Boy, are we glad to see you!"

Din nodded. "And wait until you hear what we have to say!"

"Come on, let's get inside. We can talk there." Gesturing for them to follow, the wise old Sage began walking back in the direction he came from.

"Come on, let's go." Link added, and the three of them were soon on thier way.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Link and Din followed Sharalsha through the ruins; back towards the small stone building he had made his temporary home here. Link knew this place well, as this is where he had found the old sage hiding, during Aganim's brief but terrible reign over the kingdom. The Eastern Palace right next to the ruins was also where he had retrieved the Pendant of Courage from, during his quest to retrieve the master sword.

It wasn't long before Link and Din were seated inside the sage's small residence ( and Link was glad to see the old man had added some furniture this time!) Sharalsha poured three drinks, then sat down beside the two young people to talk.

"It's good to see you again, lad" The old sage said wearily. "And who's your young Gerudo friend here?"

"Half Gerudo, elder" Din corrected politely. "My name is Din, and I'm a dancer from Labyrnia. My mother chose to leave the tribe before I was born, so the Magic that makes all Gerudo children Gerudo did not affect me."

A Look of sympathy spread across Sharalsha's face. "I am truly sorry to hear that, lady Din. It must be hard for you, given how people in this day and age treat anyone who is different."

"Nothing I haven't dealt with my whole life." Din replied with a shrug.

"What are you doing here, Sharalsha?" Link asked him, changing the subject.

"Merely looking to the past to discern the future, my lad." Sharalsha replied. "The spirits of our ancestors, the Hylians, are strong in this place. I feel there wisdom may be able to aid us in these troubled times."

Din looked at him skeptically. "But…. You have another reason for being here…. don't you?" Gerudo women have a knack for reading people, Link mused.

The old sage sighed. "You are correct, my dear. I also came here because I have heard rumors in Kakariko village that Ganon's monsters were prowling around Papara Palace and Mirodo Palace." He stroked his beard. "I wanted to keep an eye on the Eastern Palace, for I suspect Phantom Ganon may have an interest in it, as well."

"Phantom Ganon's involved too?" Link growled. "Great, my job just got a heck of a lot harder!"

"Hyrule sure seems to have a lot castles." Din commented. "The Nobility in Holodrum doesn't even have one castle!"

"Hyrule's Palaces served a purpose far different than mere homes for the nobles." Sharalsha replied. " In the days before Gustaf became the first King of Hyrule since the great flood."

"Really?" The Dancer asked. "What were they used for?"

"In the centuries since the great flood, there were many magnificent castles built in the kingdom of Hyrule." The wise old sage explained. "Used as walled fortresses by the Hylians who were coming down out of the Mountains and resettling the kingdom as the flood waters receded, these palaces served as their protection against the hordes of monsters that swarmed over the un-flooded lands."

"But why has Phantom Ganon taken an interest in them?" Din asked.

"Because many of the ancient treasures that are said to be hidden in them." Sharalsha stroked his beard. "After King Gustaf united the lands, the Palaces were abandoned. Many powerful artifacts from the ancient Hylia are still hidden deep within each of the Castles. "

Link nodded. "Wondrous artifacts, like a candle that always stays lit, and a magic Hammer that can smash huge rocks, and make the ground shake when you strike it. I've heard the Tales, Sharalsha."

"So Ganon's cronies are prowling around the ruins, looking for objects of great power?" Din shook her head. "Then things are even worse than we imagined."

"Which brings us back to the reason why we came here in the first place" Link explained, suddenly remembering. "Shadow Link has stolen the Gerudo trophy of healing, which we need to wake the people of Ruto town from a cursed sleep!"

"It is far worse than that." The old sage replied wearily. "While I was meditating, I felt a great wave of terror and death coming from the direction of Katsuto Town. I believe Ganon's army may have destroyed it."

"Great Goddesses!" Link exclaimed in horror. "All of those people!"

Din was simply stunned. Katsuto town was one of the few places in Hyrule she has visited during her travels. The Oracle had even danced in the town square during their celebration of the Piccori festival last year. Din remembered a little girl that had slipped a garland of flowers around her neck after she had danced, and she suddenly felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Do you think… there were any survivors?"

"I… don't know." The old sage replied. "I can't tell for sure…. My vision is clouded."

"Excuse me, I need some air." Din said weakly, and walked outside. Link started to follow her, but Sharalsha stopped him.

"Leave her be Link." He said gravely. "She needs some time alone."

"Damn it, Sharalsha! I know she's hurting, and she won't let me in." The Hero yelled in frustration. "I feel so helpless."

Patience, my lad" The old sage said soothingly. "The Oracle is in a lot of pain right now. The scars of the past have still not healed for her."

"You knew she was the Oracle?" Link asked in amazement.

Sharalsha nodded. "I sensed the power within her. But listen now, Link. You must be patient with her, give her time to work through her trust issues. I believe Din does care for you a great deal, but she's still afraid you'll betray her, just as I sense other men have betrayed her in the past." He stroked his beard. "Just be her friend, and she'll open up to you when she is ready to."

"I certainly hope so."The hero replied. He was silent for a few moments, before changing the subject. "But forgetting about that, we have a far more pressing problem at hand. Namely, what are Shadow Link and phantom Ganon up to?"

"I believe, my lad, that the fiends are trying to subdue Hyrule themselves, one city at a time, to offer it up to their master as a gift, upon his next resurrection." The old Sage opened a scroll, written in old Hylian. "And they are going after these ancient relics as means of acquiring enough power to keep anyone…. Including you….. from stopping them."

"Well, that's not going to work." The hero muttered "I stopped their master once before, so how hard can it be to stop them now?"

"For all of our sakes, Link" Sharalsha replied. "I certainly hope you are right."

-----------

There are many wondrous sights in the land of Hyrule, from the high peaks of Death Mountain, to the elegant beauty of Zora falls. But perhaps the greatest sight in the entire Kingdom is the towering majesty of Hyrule's great Palace.

The largest structure in all of Hyrule, its glistening towers are visible from miles away. Built immediately after the current hero had saved the kingdom from Ganon, the great palace was not home to the royal family, (that particular honor currently belonged to the South Palace, near Kakariko village) but is instead home to the Triforce itself.

The Hero of Cataclysm's eve had brought the three sacred triangles back from the dark world with him after Ganon's defeat, and now they were kept here,. Within the Great Palace, the triforce's divine energies could flow out over all of Hyrule, granting the wishes of the people for prosperity and good harvests. The great palace was well protected by a quarter of the Hylian army, and no one would be foolish enough to try to steal the sacred relic.

No one, except Shadow link.

As Shadow Link walked though the Great Palace's main hall, cloaked in shadow. It had not been easy getting in, as he had had to slit the throats of a few of the Guards who had seen him. He was glad the Sheikan guards who watched over this had been recalled to watch the royal family, or he never would have been able to sneak in.

AS he approached the altar, shadow Link kept the hood of his cloak pulled up. The Sages who tended to the Triforce shrine would simply assume he was another humble worshipper, paying homage to the Goddesses. Looking up, Shadow Link saw the three golden triangles floating in the Air- the post powerful objects in the entire world- no, in all of creation! Any who wished upon them with a heart in balance could control their power, and have all of their wishes granted, thereby controlling all of reality itself. Such power made in the most desired weapon in all of Hyrule…. The pathway to ultimate power.

But Shadow Link was not here to take the triangles, but instead to gain knowledge from them. It wasn't long before he heard the voice of the Triforce of Power inside his mind:

"_**What are you doing here, pup? Our master has not yet returned, and I will serve only him…. Not you."**_

Shadow Link smiled. Ganon's evil and his arrogance still manifested themselves through his bond with the Triforce of Power. Shadow Link whispered back: "I'm not here to take you, power or Courage. I merely wish to ask a question of the Triforce of Wisdom."

"_**Evil is the path you choose…. But evildoers always lose." **_The Triforce of Wisdom replied indignantly. Shadow Link ignored 'her'.

"Where is the scared instrument?" He asked bluntly. "I need its power for my plan!"

"_**What you ask for has been lost since the days of the Hero of time!" **_The Triforce of Courage exclaimed.

"I know!" Shadow Link hissed. "That's why I need to know where it is!"

The Triforce was silent for a moment, before Power replied: _**"Those who protect the royal family …. They possess the answer you seek."**_

"The Sheikah….. " He muttered under his breath. Thank you, great ones." Shadow Link replied in a mocking tone. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you." Shadow Link turned to leave.

"_**You seek the past to control the future….. An unwise course of action." **_Wisdom called out after him.

"I'll take my chances." Shadow Link Snapped back.

"_**The Hero does not fear you." **_The Triforce of Courage spat, as a final mark of defiance.

Shadow Link turned back to look at the Triforce, and stared darkly. "Then that will be the last mistake he will ever make."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

It had been several hours since link and Din had left the ruins, and neither of them had talked since. As they walked westward across the Hylian countryside, Link continued to lead the way, while the sullen Din followed silently behind him. When the silence finally became to much to bear, Link spoke up.

"Hey, you all right?" The hero asked.

"What?... Oh, yes, I'm fine, Link." She replied quietly. "I.. just can stop thinking about all those poor people in Katsuto town... I can't believe they were all snuffed out... like nothing!"

Link stopped, and turned to face her. "We don't know that they all perished, Din, not even Sharalsha could tell." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Some of them may have gotten away."

"Maybe... but all that death and destruction... for what?"Din shook her head sadly. "It's pointless... so utterly pointless..."

"I wish I knew why, Din." Link closed his eyes, and shook his head. "I wish I knew why Ganon's legions terrorize Hyrule... why so many innocents have to suffer from the destruction they cause. All I know is it's my job to protect them... and stop what happened at Katsuto from happening again." He turned, and continued walking.

As they walked, Din considered his words. Link was the protector of all Hyrule, saving them from evil time and again, and asked for nothing in return. He was so unlike the men she had known... and hated... who cared only for themselves. She had once had feelings for Link before, when he saved her from the Dragon Onox. Had her hatred of other men blinded her to that?

Before Din could ponder this further, her foot hit something lying on the ground "Ow! that hurt!" She yelped in pain.

"Are you alright?" Link asked, turning around.

"I'll be fine." She replied. Looking down to see what she mad stumbled on, the Oracle saw a pair of iron rails running along the landscape, half buried in the dirt.

"Link, what are these?" Din asked curiously. "They look like mine car tracks... but I don't see any mines near here."

"Wow Din, I can't believe you found those!" The hero's eyes went wide. "Those are railroad tracks! Trains used to run on them here in Hyrule!"

"Trains?" Din asked. "You mean... Steam powered carriges that run on tracks?"

"That's right!" Link replied. "They were used in the age after the flood to travel around the resettled Hyrule, one of my ancestors was an engineer on one of the trains."

"But where did these trains come from?" Din asked, curious. "And Why doesn't Hyrule have trains now?"

"Before the lands of northern Hyrule had been setteled after the flood, a Demon King named Malladus attacked the lands of nothern Hyrule. In a great battle, the Spirits of the Land managed to seal the Demon King away, and his prision grew out to become the Train Tracks around Hyrule."

Link looked to the skies, and related the tale as his uncle had told it to him. "My engineer ancestor foiled the attempt of a corrupt Hylian prime minister to free the Demon King. A generation later, King Gustav took the throne, and outlawed the Train system, out of fear that if the tracks were damaged, the Demon King would Return."

Din nodded, and looked around at the scenery they were passing. "Link, where are we headed again?" She noticed that there were suddenly more and more trees, as if they were entering the edge of a forest.

"The lost woods." He replied ominously. "An ancient forest in Hyrule, that is said to have magic portals to anywhere and anywhere in the world."

"I've heard of that place." Din whispered nervously. "You can easily get lost in there, and if you don't find you way out... You turn into a stalfos." She gulped. "Do we really need to go there?"

Link nodded. "It's the quickest way to get to northern Hyrule... unless we want to climb over the monster-infested death mountian."

"Okay." Din replied. "Lost Woods it is, then."

As they passed through lost woods, Din got the eerie feeling that they were being watched. The ancient, towering trees seemed to close in on them, as if they were intruders in this bizarre landscape. An errie fog seemed to hang over the place. Large, hollowed out fallen trees served as tunnels, connecting different sections of the lost woods.

"Link, who made these paths?" Din asked quietly.

"These were trails cut in the ancient days, before the age of the hero of time." Link replied. "Before the flood, there was a race of forest children who dwelled in these woods, and it was home to a tribe of Deku scrubs after the flood." The Hero shook his head. "Now, only a band of thieves live here."

Din looked through one of the hollow trees "Does the forest really connect to everywhere in the world?"

Link Nodded. "There are not only portals leading to other parts of Hyrule, but you can get to places like Termina and Labyrinia from here, as well. Why, the Scared Grove where the Master Sword rests even connects to the lost woods in Holodrum."

"Wow." Din replied in amazement. "That's near the Tarm ruins!"

As they continued talking, neither of them noticed a pair of eyes watching them from the trees, and were completely unaware that they were being followed. So it came as a total surprise when an arrow shot out of nowhere, and buried itself in the tree behind Link.

"Thieves!" The hero yelled. He and Din Drew thier blades, as six thieves surrounded them.

"Give us all your rupees, Hero!" One of the bandits snarled "And we may let you live!"

"Not a chance!" Link spat angrily. He knew of these thieves, a band who had operated out of Kakariko village for centuries. His ancestor, the Hero of the Four Swords, had rounded them all up and imprisoned them, but they had all managed to escape again. They were finally driven out of Kakariko when Blind, their leader, had disappeared into the dark world, and they went into hiding here in the lost woods. Link had defeated Blind the thief in the dark world, and had been attacked by these bandits when he had been exploring the lost woods before. Now, it was payback time.

Before ether side could attack, however, a strong wind blew up between them. A beautiful green-haired woman stepped forth from the trees, and raised her arms to both sides. "All of you ... stop! You shall not fight on scared ground!" Her voice spoke with a commanding authority that surprised both Link and Din.

The Hero stared at the green-haired woman, stunned. She wore a green tunic much like his, but with no leggings underneath. She looked to be about his and Din's age, but her eyes sparkled with a wisdom far older than even Sharalsha.

"Filthy thieves!" She glared at the bandits darkly. The trees seemed to shake angrily as she spoke. "Begone from this place! NOW!"

"Flee!" One of them screamed. "It is the spirit of the forest, we must flee!"

The bandits all scurried away into the forest, and the green-haired woman's face changed to a look of sadness.

"It is now safe for you and the oracle to pass now, hero." She said softly. "Those cowards will trouble you no more."

"Who... who are you?" Din asked in awe.

"I am the last of my kind." The green-haired woman replied sadly. "When my fellow Kokiri abandoned their human shapes, and left with the Great Deku tree to dwell on the mountaintops, I remained here... and used my powers to protect the Lost Woods when the flood waters covered Hyrule."

"The spirit of the Forest ..." Link said softly.

She turned to Link. "Link... if ever you see the spirit of your ancestor, the Hero's Shade... tell him that Saria watches over the lost woods still... and that she will keep the memory of the boy without a fairy alive in her heart, forever,"

With that, the green-haired woman faded away like a dream.

After a few minutes, Din asked. "Link..what ... was that?"

"A memory, Din." The Hero finally replied. "An Echo ... of an age long past."

"Lets get out of here." Din replied, and the two of them hurried through the woods.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As Link and Din slowly found their way out of the Lost Woods, they found the Sun was beginning to set in the West.

"Link, we're going to want to find someplace to stay for the night." Din told him. "I'd rather not be out in the open after sunset."

"I know just the place." Link replied. "The town of Saria is just a few miles to the north of here." He looked back at her with a smile. "We should be able to get a good night's sleep in the inn there."

Soon, they made their way through the far western foothills of the death mountain range, following a hidden path leading north.

"The Lumberjacks A. and B. Bumpkin showed me this path." The Hero Commented. "It's a good way to slip past the monsters on Death mountain."

After passing through the mist-covered peaks, they arrived in the open terrain of Northern Hyrule. It wasn't long before they spotted the rooftops of the buildings and houses of Saria up ahead.

Saria town stood on the banks of the Illia river, with one half of the town on one side, and the other half on the opposite shore. The town was a lively place, with Hylians coming and going about their business. Link and Din tried to talk to the townsfolk, but most of them were far too busy to say much more than 'hello', before continuing on their way.

Finally, Din was able to stop a young woman, and ask directions to the local Inn. They found it on the edge of town, and were able to get a room for the night.

"What a Rip off!" Link growled in anger. "Forty Rupees a night for this dump! And they only gave us one room!"

"With only one bed." Din replied, looking away from Link to keep him from seeing the growing blush in her cheeks. "I'm not surprised, this place seems pretty full up."

Link Sighed. "Well, at least we're safe in town for the night." He sat down in a chair in the corner. "Tomorrow, we're going to have to cross Illia river… but the only way to do that is across Saria town's bridge." Link shook his head. "It's going to take a large bribe to get the Gatekeeper to extend the bridge, so we can get to the other side of town."

"Is there no other way across?" Din asked hopefully.

Link shook his head. "The waters near here are too infested with Bago-Bago."

" Skullfish." Din Replied.

Link nodded. "A Swarm of them could reduce a Goron to a skeleton in less than a minute." He looked out the window. "The Bridge is the only safe way across."

"Well, we can worry about it in the morning. "Din replied. "For now, We should get some sleep."

"You're right." Link took his boots and hat off, and settled back into the chair and closed his eyes.

"Wait…" Din said in surprise. "You're sleeping… on the Chair?" She was lucky that Link didn't hear the tone of … disappointment in her voice.

"Yes, a Knight always gives up the best sleeping spot to the lady." Link replied.

Din closed her eyes. "Link… I'm sorry I pushed you away earlier." She told him softly. "You're not like the man who betrayed me…I know I can trust you." She turned away from him. "And I know that you care about me."

"Good Night, Din" He replied, pulling his hat over his face to cover his blush. "Pleasant dreams."

"Good night, Link." Din replied softly, pulling the covers over her body. After she was sure he was asleep, she whispered to herself.

"_You are still the same man who saved me from Onox so long ago. How I wish you hadn't left for Kolnohoit. Because I had strong feelings for you then, Link…_

…_and I still have strong feelings for you now."_

_How could this be happening?_

Shadow Link growled in anger. Today was just not his day. As he arrived back on Death Mountain, one of his Moblin messengers told him something he really didn't want to hear:

Six of the seven great generals of Ganon's armies had arrived at the Tower of Hera to hold Council... and they wanted a word with him. As he ascended the tower steps to the higest floor he could already hear them arguing amongst themselves. Oh, how he hated these arrogant fools, and thier ability to stand up to him. In the old days, he could simply scare ganon's monsters into following his orders. But these generals were far to powerful to intimidate, and were always arguing with him.

As he entered the Council Chamber, they ceased thier bickering, and took notice of him.

"Well, look what the horse dragged in." Horsehead whinnied. A large man with a Horse's head, he was the commander of all the Moblins, Goriya, and LIzalfos in Ganon's forces. He blew steam out of his nose. "Late as usual, I see."

"It is a shameful Thing... for an honorable warrior to be late." Helmethead said in agreement. A towering figure in armor, Helmethead was lord all of the Darknuts, Iron Knuckles, Doomknockers, and all other armored monsters. He raised his visor, and downed a goblet of Lon Lon ale. "I expected better out of you, shady one."

"What else can you expect from a pathetic copy of the Hero?" Carrock hissed. A large hooded sorcerer, he was master of all the Wizzrobes, as wel as the Stalfos, Gibido, and the other undeads. "He was a failure ever since the master first made him!"

Shadow Link kneeled before them, and spoke through clenched teeth. "Why have you summoned my, my lords?"

"Shadow Link not run things well." Gooma snarled. A Giant humanoid who nearly filled the room, Gooma was the lord of all the Octoroks, Skulltulas, Ghomas, Like-Likes, and other mindless creatures that crawled across the ground. "We angry at Shadow Link."

"What our dim-witted friend here is trying to say... is that we've run out of Patience with you." Phantom Ganon Sneered. "And we're wondering if it isin't time to replace you."

Shadow Link wanted to leap forward, and strangle phantom Ganon. They were supposed to be equals, running the Master's army together! The little backstabber had probably sided with these cretins in order to get rid of him, and have all the power to himself!

"If I am to be condemned, why is the seventh General not here?" Shadow Link growled in anger. "Where is Barba?"

"The king of all dragons still has his Gleeocks and Arquamentises searching the forests for survivors of Kasuto town." Carrock Replied. "But it is not him you should be concerned about... it is yourself."

"I've done nothing wrong!" Shadow Link protested. "I'm just as loyal to Ganon as any of you!"

"You're loyalty to the master is not in Question." Horsehead neighed. "Your track record of failure is what dooms you."

"I'm working on a plan... right now!" Shadow Link Replied desperately. "That's why I put Ruto town to sleep! That's why I stole the Trophy from the Gerudo! When I'm done, Hyrule will surrender to us without a fight!"

"The Hero is already on the move." Helmethead replied smugly, his arms folded across his chest. "And the king of Hyrule will never give up hope as long as he lives."

"You big loser shadow Link!" Gooms smashed his gigantic fist against the table, shattering it to bits. "Gooma crush you now!"

"WAIT! I have a new plan!" Shadow Link pleaded, stumbling backward. " I've found the Ocrina of Time! The Shekaih have it! I only need troops skilled enough to retrieve it!"

"ENOUGH!" The voice of the Thunderbird bellowed, silencing everyone else in the room. The most powerful of all Ganon's generals, the large Thunderbird commanded all of the flying monsters (except the dragons) All keese, moby, guay, and Helmarocs obeyed her every command. She had remained silent during all the fighting until now, and her loud bellow sent chills down shadow Link's spine. "You've all spoken your opinions, now I shall speak mine!"

The Thunderbird bent down, he body crackling with electricity, and looked shadow link directly in the eye. "Very well, shadow Link, I shall give you a squad of by best Soldiers to retrieve the Ocarina... but be warned!" Her eye crackled with thunder. "Fail us again, and your punishment will he horrifying beyond words!"

Shadow Link gulped, nodded, and quickly ran out of the room.

Autho's note: All of Ganon's generals are from the games, none were of my creation (I really don't like putting OC's in my writing, but I will do it once in awhile)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next morning, Link and Din wandered through the shops and stalls of the marketplace. Shelves stocked to the brim with clothes, weapons, food and anything else the consumer could desire were for sale. All around them, merchants and customers haggled over prices, each side trying to get the better part of the deal.

As they turned a corner, Link recognized the stall of a shopkeeper from Koradai, whom he had met on an adventure there. But before the hero could move Din away from the stall, the portly Koridian merchant had already begun his sales pitch.

"Ah! Welcome worthy customers!" The Shopkeep greeted them. "Lamp oil… rope… bombs… you want it? It's yours, my friends!" The merchant exclaimed, greedily rubbing his hands together. "So long as you have enough rupees."

Before Din could even reply, Link raised his hand. "I'm sad to say we're broke, Morshu." Link replied, lying through his teeth. "I just spent my last red Rupee on buying the lovely lady here a new hair clip."

"No money?" Morshu shook his head. "Sorry Link, but I can't give credit." He gestured for them to move along. "Come back when you're a little… mmmm… richer!"

As they kept walking, Din Giggled. "Merchants… just as greedy as they are in the desert… and just as gullible!"

"So very true." Link replied with a laugh. "But if you do actually want me to get you something from their Stalls, it's yours."

"Awww that's sweet, Link!" The Oracle replied with a smile. "But you really don't have to…" Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "EEEEE! Over there!"

Grabbing Link's arm, she dragged him over towards a large, gaudy jewelry booth. By the time they walked away from the stall, Din's neck was decorated with a beautiful pearl necklace, and the Hero's wallet truly was empty of all rupees.

"Thank you, Link!" Din squealed with delight, hugging him. "This is absolutely beautiful!"

"Yeah? Well, you should thank my poor wallet!" Link replied with a chuckle. "But it does look good on you. Makes you look more… girly."

"What?" Din pulled away, and gave the hero an annoyed look. "Well thanks… glad you think so highly of me." She replied coldly.

"What? Now, wait a minute!" Link replied angrily. "There's nothing wrong with being girly, even if you are a tomboy!"

"It means you think I'm weak!" Din replied. "That I'm a helpless and emotional!"

"No it doesn't!" Link pointed a finger at her. "I don't think you're weak, I think you're a very brave woman. But I think you're a very beautiful woman, too." Softening his voice, Link looked her straight in the eyes. "Din, you can be strong… and be a girl, too. Don't cut out part of who you are, just because of what other people think!"

Din only looked at him, a hurt and confused look on her face. Dear Goddesses, he thought to himself, what who had hurt her so badly, while he was away at Kolnohoit? Her heart was so broken and tormented, that the smiling, flirtatious girl he remembered from Holodrum seemed only a memory. Why wouldn't she let him in? Why wouldn't she even give him a chance?

Couldn't she see her pain was hurting him too?

Before this line of thought could carry any further, the Hero heard a familiar voice call out. "Link! Link, is that you?"

Spinning around, the hero was suprised to see an old friend running up to him. "Bipin! What in Hylia are you doing here?" He greeted the older man with an embrace."It's been ages, old friend!"

Din looked the rustic-looking farmer over. "Bipin, the Gasha seed expert from Holodrum?" She smiled. "I remember you! How is Blossom, your wife?"

"Blossom is fine." Bipin replied. "She and I live in Labyrina now, and I've come here to Hyrule to try and sell some of our own home-grown Gasha seeds!"

"Sounds like a tough sell." The hero shook his head. "Hyrule's soil is far too poor to grow Gasha trees."

"I've come to realise that." The Farmer frowned. "I may have to go home empty handed." He then smiled again. "But enough about me! How are the two of you doing?"

"It's a long story...." Link Replied.

"Well... come on!" Bipin exclaimed. "Let's go to the local tavern, I'm sure you can tell me after you've had something to eat!"

-----

As they all ate, Link and Din explained everything that had happened to them, and how they had to get north. Bipin pondered for a moment. "That's going to be rather difficult to get across the river, Link. The gatekeeper at the river won't lower the bridge for outsiders, unless they are willing to pay a large bribe."

"There's got to be something we can do!" Link exclaimed in frustration. "Damn it, we should have gotten a letter of passage from the king when we were there!"

As they were talking, Din looked up at the stage in the Tavern. The owner of the tavern would pay a great deal of money to have a gerudo dancer perform up there... money enough to both bribe the gatekeeper... and to make sure Bipin didn't go back to his wife with empty pockets.

"Link, you go and Bipin go back to the inn and gets some rest." Din told the hero. "I'll be along later."

"You sure you want to be here alone?" Link replied, uncertain. "This place can be rather rough."

"Just go!" She replied, practically pushing them out the door. "Besides, I'm the Oracle of Seasons, what kind of trouble could I possibly get myself into?"

"All right, Din... see you later." As he they left, Link turned to Bipin. "Boy, she can sure be stubborn."

The farmer simply laughed. "Reminds me of my son."

"Speaking of your son, how's he doing these days?" Link asked. "Were you ever able to get that curse off of him that made him age rapidly?"

"Yep, the witch Syrup was able to brew a potion that slowed his aging to normal, though she wasn't able to give him his childhood back." The old farmer shook his head. "I really wish he would make up his mind what career he's like to pursue, Link. A farmer like me, an adventurer like you, he just can't seem to make up his mind what he wants to do with his life."

"Well, I certainly hope things work out for him, my friend." Link replied, putting his hand on Bipin's shoulder. "And for you and blossom as well."

"Thank you, Hero." The old farmer replied, as they both walked into the inn.

-------

Before long, night crept over the town of Saria. Back in the Tavern, the crowd was starting to get restless, demanding entertainment. The various cutthroats and scoundrels that frequented this seedy Tavern at night wanted more than just their beer. It wouldn't be long before some of them started to get rowdy.

But all of their voices fell silent when a beautiful, red-haired Gerudo woman stepped out onto the stage. She wore a pair of red, high healed boots, and a glittering thong bikini. As the small band in the corner began to play, she began to dance. Slowly at first, then faster and faster as the pace of the music increased. Kicking her heels high, twisting and turning and spinning to the pounding beat.

Every eye in the place was her, but Din didn't care. She was lost in the music, kicking and spinning beneath the hot light of the lanterns. She was dancing for herself... and for Link, who in her mind she pictured out amongst the crowd, watching her. She closed her eyes, and the song, the dance, and herself all became one. As the music reached it's climax, Din did a final long spin, and dropped to the floor. Her smooth skin was dripping in sweat, and her fiery eyes blazed as the dance ended.

The room was silent for a moment, then erupted into an explosion of applause, whistles, and catcalls. The crowd threw rupees and several room keys from the inn onto the stage. Smiling, Din collected up the money, and with a bow, left the stage. The Oracle then went over to the bar, and ordered a drink. She knew link would be mad at her for doing this, but the money she was getting would not only get them across the bridge, but also get them supplies, and give Bipin some money to take home with him to his family.

Besides, she was a half-Gerudo, this was her life... who she was. After downing a few more shots of ale, Din stood back up, and headed back to the stage for her next performance.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Link awoke early the next morning, only to find Din still asleep well past noon. She woke up late, groggy and grumbling. While Link was concerned about where she had been, he respected her privacy, and didn't ask.

It wasn't long before they met with Bipin to say their goodbyes, and Din surprised both Link and the farmer by presenting him with a pouch filled with over a thousand Rupees.

"Din! how did... where did..." His eyes went wide. "Where in the name of Din did this money come from?!?"

The Oracle shot him a dark look, then handed the pouch to Bipin. "Here, for you, and your family."

The old farmer simply stood there, stunned. "Din... I, I don't know what to say..."He shook his head. "Without this... my wife and I would have been finanically ruined. Thank you so much..."

Din waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, just go back to Labyrinia, and take care of that wife of yours."

Bipin embraced them both, then said. "Goodbye, my friends! And good luck on your journey!"

As they walked away, Link was about to say something, when Din blurted. "Not a word. We'll talk about this after we leave town."

Link nodded, and soon they approached the toll bridge across the river, where the cranky old guard waited.

"Sorry folks, the bridge is closed to all outsiders." He told them, blocking their path. "No exceptions!"

"Are you sure no exceptions?" Din said coyly, presenting him with a bag of a thousand rupees.

The guards eyes lit up at the sight of the money. "That's an exception I'll take." He turned a crank, and lowered the bridge for the pair. As they began to cross, the guard suddenly spoke up. "Hey, weren't you the dancer at the tavern last night? Great performance, me and my friends just loved it!"

All of the color drained from Link's face, and The Oracle turned a deep shade of red, as they made their way out of Saria town.

---

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

Link's voice exploded after they were well outside of town. His eyes burned with a passionate anger, and his hands were shaking with fury. "How could you do that to yourself?!? Dance if front of a bunch of lowlifes like that?!?"

"I'm a Dancer, Link. It's my job." She crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed. "And I'm twenty years old, I hardly need you to look out for me!I can take care of myself!"

"It's not about that, Din!" Link replied, in a slightly calmer voice. "It's just seeing you degrade yourself like that..."

"What do they care if I degrade myself?" Din asked, the anger rising in her voice. "I hear what they say about me... the names they call me... 'hussy'... 'tramp'... and why? Because I'm half Gerudo!" She looked away from Link. "We don't dance because we're sultry... we dance because it's our culture... it's how we express ourselves!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "But Hylians and their stupid bigotry make us out to be horrible! Why should they care about what I do!?"

Link went over, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Well... I care."

Din spun around to face him, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Link! I'm so sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it." He replied warmly, pulling her into an embrace. "And don't worry about what people think, either. Just be who you are."

Pulling away, Din stared deep into his eyes, and saw the warmth and concern there. Her lips slowly began to approached his...

...when a thrown ball and chain barely missed their heads, and buried itself in a nearby tree.

It took only seconds, before both of them had their weapons out, and were facing the direction the ball and chain had come from. They found themselves facing a guma- a large, minotaur-like creature- and a patrol of Tin Suits who were following him.

"They must have snuck up on us during our 'moment'." Link said with a smirk.

"Wanna make them pay for that?" Din replied, raising her scimitars.

"By all means." Link agreed.

The two of them dove at the monsters, and Link immediately decapitated one of the Tin Suits. Din rolled around behind another one, and killed it with a back slice. Link then dove at the Gooma, and the creature tried to smash him with it's ball and chain. But he blocked the blow with his shield, and sliced at it's ankles. The Guma howled in agony, and charged forward, knocking the Hero down. Before he could get back up, the Tin Suits swarmed over him, stabbing him with their sharp blades.

"Link!" Din shrieked. She suddenly dove forward, and double-slashed the already damaged Guma with her scimitars, cutting it in half right down the middle. It died with s painful scream, and the two halves of it's body fell in two different directions.

Suddenly, The Hero leaped back to his feet. "You freaks aren't getting me without a fight!" Pulling up his sword again, Link cut them all down with a deadly spin attack, then fell to his knees.

"LINK!" Din shrieked. Seeing there were no more enemies, she came running up to him. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine" He rasped out."just a flesh wound." But from the blood streaming out of his wounds, she could see he was lying.

"No, you're hurt!" Din exclaimed. "We have to get you back to Saria... we can get a doctor there."

"Caught me by surprise." Link groaned. "So sorry..."

"Even the best Hero gets caught off guard." She replied, as she helped him up. "Now come on, lets get going."

"You're not going anywhere." A voice bellowed. Din turned to see a swarm of Goriyas at the top of the ravine, their razor sharp boomerangs aimed at the two of them. Leading them was a doomknocker. "I'd put the scimitars down if I were you... you might be able to fight us off, Oracle, but I don't the hero is in any condition to do so."

Seeing the monster was right, Din set Link back down, pulled out her Twin blades, and dropped them on the ground. Rather than see Link be hurt further, she surrendered.

---

Shadow Link was walking down a hallway, when a Moblin messenger ran up, and kneeled before him.

"A Doomknocker in North Hyurle report in." The monster grunted. "He say he catch Hero and Oracle."

"What!?!" Shadow Link exclaimed in shock. "I can't believe it! This is excellent news!" A dark smile spread across the Shadow's face. "Have him Delivered to Mirodo Palace, and have our team exploring the palace... deal with them."

The moblin nodded. "We also found Shiekah village in South Hyrule.... spy inside village tipped darknuts off."

"Excellent!I knew the Ache spy we had disguise itself as a Shekiah would come in handy!" Shadow Link laughed. "Tell our spy to keep itself hidden, I will assemble a strike force to attack the village at once!"

The moblin bowed and left, and shadow Link turned to watch the sun set over death mountain.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Oracle of Seasons had her hands bound, and was being pushed along by the Goriyas that had captured her and Link. The Goriyas were dragging the mortally wounded hero along like a piece of meat, not really caring wither he was alive or dead. When they finally stopped to set up camp for the night, Din sat beside The Hero's unmoving form, and cradled his head in her lap. The Oracle did her best to stop the profuse bleeding from his wounds... but she was no physician.

Meanwhile, the monsters set up camp. They were joined by the two surviving Tinsuits from the first patrol Link and Din had slaughtered, and were sitting around the campfire, gloating about their 'victory' over the hero and the Oracle.

"We Goriya do great in battle!" One of the Monsters proclaimed. "Council of Generals reward us well for stopping hero!"

"Bah! You snarling savages didn't do anything!" The Doomknocker sneered "It was my Tinsuits who bravely gave their lives to to wound the Hero! You clowns are too stupid to even speak in cohesive sentences!"

The two Tin Suits moved to back up the Doomknocker. Although Tinsuits were too low on the Darknut hierarchy to even have a suit of armor, they were unwaveringly loyal to their commanding officer.

"Doomknocker not make fun of Goriya! Our commander Guma gave his life to stop hero in ambush, too!" The Goriyas waved their boomerangs menacingly.

As the monsters argued amongst themselves, Din spied the Gorriya's pile of stolen loot taken during raids. In the Pile, she spotted a bottle of red potion... the perfect way to heal the Hero's wounds. If only she could reach it without the monsters noticing.

"Hold on, Link." Din thought to herself, looking at the unconscious. "I'm not going to let you die on me!"

---

Link awoke in an ethereal void, a dreamlike region filled with mist and smoke. Beneath his feet, he could see the entire kingdom of Hyrule stretching out before him.

"W-where am I?" The Link asked, still groggy. "Am I... dead?"

"You are in a place between life and death." A deep voice boomed. "And I have been here for over a thousand years."

Before Link even turned around, he already knew who it was. "Hero's Shade... my uncle told be about you." He crossed his arms over his chest. "So tell me, 'honorasble ancestor', what pearls of wisdom do you have for me?" Link's tone was respectful, but to the point.

"Well, you seem to have gotten yourself into a situation, haven't you?" The Shade said sarcastically.

"Eh, nothing I can't handle." Link shrugged.

The Shade shook his skeletal head. "I'm referring to your relationship with the girl, Din"

Link gave a look of Surprise. "Wha?... how did?"

The Shade seemed to smirk. "Yes, I know of your feelings for the Oracle. It seems men in our family have a thing for read heads." The Spirit thought back to a red-haired Ranch Girl from a thousand years earlier.

Link looked away. "Yeah... well, it seems all I sucseeded in doing was making her mad at me."

"Well, maybe yelling at her for dancing- to give money to a staving farmer for his family- wasn't such a hot idea."

"But.."

"Dancing is her life, boy... her means of self-expression." The Shade replied. "It doesn't matter what other people think, she needs to be who she is."

"But other people treat her like dirt!" Link replied angrily. "They make degrading remarks behind her back... I can't stand it!"

"They say those things because she looks like a gerudo, not because of her dancing." The Shade shrugged. "Some people are just idiots."

Link looked his ancestor in the eye. "So what should I do?"

"Apologize... and tell her how you feel about her." The shade looked down at the Kingdom they were floating above. "Now, I believe you'll need a little something to get out of this mess."

The Hero's Shade raised his hand to the sky, and a powerful-looking sword floated down into his grasp. "Normally, I'm not supposed to interfere like this, but I think the Goddesses will make an exception in this case." He held the sword up to Link. "Recognize this blade, boy?"

"The Master Sword!" Link replied, stunned.

The Shade nodded. "We know not who originally made this blade, or why... only that it has served many generations of our family well. It was reforged by the minish twice... once when the flood waters dulled the blade, and it was given as a gift the Hero of men... and a second time when the Sorcerer Vaati broke it in half."

Link simply stared at the Blade. "I used the sword twice... once when I saved Zelda and the seven maidens, and again when I drew the sword from it's pedestal to Save Holodrum and Labyrnia. "

"Yes."The Shade chuckled. "The people of Holodrum called it _the Noble Sword_."

"But.. I lost the sword during the storm that washed me up on Kolnohoit Island!" The Hero exclaimed. "The Seashell Sword version I used on Kolnohoit was only a dream!"

"The Master Sword can never be lost, my boy... never be destroyed." The Shade handed the sword to Link. "Now, it's time for you to go back, you know what you need to do...."

---

Din quietly crept past the arguing monsters, and quickly grabbed the red potion from the pile. Her dancer's reflexes served her well, as she tiptoed back over to where the Hero lay. Prying his mouth open, she forced the red liquid down his throat.

"What do you think you're doing, my Dear?" The Doomknocker hissed. Finally noticing what she was doing, the giant armored jackal-man had snuck up behind her.

"None of your business, dog-face!" The Oracle spat at him. The Doomkocker grabbed her by the throat, and began to choke her. Unable to breathe, the light began to fade from Din's eyes....

ZAP!

A Sword Beam caught the Doomknocker squarely in the back, causing him to drop Din. Gasping for air, the Oracle looked up to see the Hero back on his feet... and wielding the blade of Evil's bane.

"Link!" Din screamed. "You're alive!"

"Thanks to you!" Link replied. "And now... they're gonna get it!"

The Doomknocker threw a mace at Link, which the Hero vaporized with a sword beam. The Goriyas threw their boomerangs at the Hero, but several more sword zaps destroyed them, as well.

"My turn." Rolling behind a tree for cover, Link hit them with a barrage of sword beam blasts. Trapped out in the open, all of the Goriya fell before the brutal two Tinsuits dove at Link, only to be cut down by the Hero's great spin attack.

During this stuggle, the Doomknocker tried to smash Din with his mace, but the Oracle dodged out of the way. Her eyes flashing with anger, she spoke but one word...

"burn!"

An intense fire shot forth from her fingertips, and struck the Doomknocker straight in the chest. Although the blazing inferno did not catch the monster's armor on fire, the Jackal-man within was roasted alive inside the heated metal, like a chicken in an oven. The Doomknocker let out an unholy scream, then dropped to th ground.

Link ran over to the still-shaking Oracle. "Din, are you all right?" He looked over at the scorched armor. "Ewww, smells like barbecued dog!"

"I'm all right, Link." Din replied in a broken voice. "Let's get out of here!"

As the dead monster's body and armor vanished in a puff of smoke, Link and Din ran, leaving the camp site far behind them.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was completely quiet in the Shiekah village, as nothing unusual was know to happen there- unusual, that is, for a tribe of Ninjas sword to defend Hyrule and it's royal family. The youths trained with their teachers, learning both weapon skills, and how to appear and vanish mysteriously, like true ninja- while the council of elders debated endlessly over the recent turn of events.

The Sheikah were currently not on the Royal Family's good side. A rouge Shiekah named Agahnim -who had been cast out of the Tribe for dabbling in sorcery- had nearly destroyed the entire kingdom a few years ago. The vile sorcerer had made a pact with Ganon, attempting to break the seal on the Dark World, and free the evil king. The Hero had defeated him, and when Agahnim fled into the Dark world, Ganon possessed his body. Even though the hero slew the possessed Agahnim after that, The Hylian people still blamed the Shekiah for his crimes (Much as the people of Labyrina blamed all Twili for Veran's crimes, even though she was an exiled Twili sorceress).

As the Shiekah went about thier business, they failed to notice one of thier number was not what she seemed. A Shekiah named Kiva, who had appeared out of nowhere a few months ago, was actually a monster- a new type of shape-shifting keese called an ache. Aches were magically bred by Ganon's wizzrobes to serve as spies, who could disguise themselves as a member of one of the friendly races to gather information.

Everything had gone according to plan-after a Sheikah patrol had come across Kiva (who told them she was from another Shekian village, and had bumped her head and gotten amnesia), they took her back to their hidden village in southern Hyrule. After several months of covertly gathering knowledge on thew Shekiah's fighting styles, numbers, and plans... she had finally reported the location of the village to Ganon's army. Now, as she awaited Shadow Link's invasion force, Kiva had one more duty to perform.

Sneaking into the chief elder's hut, the Shiekan/Ache spy rummaged through the village leader's personal belongings. She was looking for something she had heard was in the elders possession-something Shadow Link was desperately searching for. From the other Shekiah's whisperings, Kiva had learned that the fabled Ocarina of Time had been entrusted to this particular village long ago by Hyrule's royal family, and that the elder had it in her possession. Kiva soon found this to be true, as she uncovered the Ocarina, hidden in a box beneath the Elder's bed.

"Hey! What are you doing in here?!?" The elder had walked in on her search, and it only took a moment for the old woman to determine the spy's intentions. She assumed a fighting stance, ready to fight off what she assumed was simply a traitorous Shiekah in the service of Ganon.

It much to the elder's surprise, then, when Kiva shifted first into her natural bat-like Ache form, then into the large, gargoyle-like Acheman- a form the wizzrobes had given to the spies to defend themselves (much like how two regular Keese could combine to form a Vire). The Shekian elder was caught completely off-guard, and was easily dispatched by a blast of Kiva's fire breath.

The other Sheikah were completely caught by suprise when the Elder's hut burst into flames. A large, gargoyle-like creature burst forth, and flew into the Sky- followed by a volley of Shiekian arrows and boomerangs. As she flew away, they thought the danger had passed... but they soon had something even worse to deal with... something far worse.

It was at that moment, that the wall around the village exploded inward, and a swarm of Bird-like armoured soldiers poured into the compound. These were the Fokka- the most feared of all Ganon's troops. Descended from a bird-like race from an age gone by, these skilled fighters could move just as fast as any shekiah- but whereas the Shekiah couldn't wear armor in battle because it slowed them down, the Fokka could perform the Shekiah's own martial arts against them _while in full armor._

Riding on their large Fokkeru firebird mounts, the elite troops quickly overwhelmed the Shiekah. Dozens of the Ninja guardians were cut down by the leaping bird-men within minutes. One Shekiah who managed to decapitate a Fokka was quickly skewered by the swords of three more. Another used the Deku nut flash trick to try and escape, but was by a Fokkeru firebird's burning breath. It wasn't long before the entire village was in flames.

On a cliff nearby, Shadow Link and his spy Kiva watched the slaughter taking place below them.

"Amazing!" Shadow Link said in disbelief. "The Shiekah are the best warriors in Hyrule... I've seen them cut through legions of Moblins, Darknuts, and even Iron Knuckles like they were nothing! But these 'bird-men' troops the Thunderbird loaned me cut through them like they were nothing!"

"That's not the only reason, my lord." Kiva hissed. "My experience living among this village of Shiekah has taught me they have grown soft... degenerated from the greatness thier ancestors once had."

"Thus making them easy pickings for the Fokka." Shadow Link agreed. He turned towards Kiva. "Did you get the Ocarina?"

"As you requested, my Lord." She tossed him the instrument. "I look forward to the reward you promised me."

Shadow Link shuddered at that. In order to get her cooperation, the Shade had promised the bat creature... a night with him. Still given her shape-shifting ability, it promised to be an... interesting night.

Besides, he had the Ocarina now... everything was going according to plan....

---

Link and Din ran for their lives across Mirodo Swamp, fleeing after escaping capture at the hands of monsters.

"If we keep going north, we'll reach Mirodo Palace!" Link gasped " We can hide out from these monsters there!"

"Okay... let's go!" Din replied.

"As they kept moving the swamp near them began to bubble. Suddenly, all of these goo-like creatures began to rise from the swamp by the hundreds.

"Chuchus!" Link said . "Get your scimitars out, these guys shouldn't be too much of a problem!"

"Ewww! They all look like giant balls of snot!" Din replied in a disgusted voice. "Like somebody blew their nose in five different colors!"

She was right... the vicious slimes were everywhere. Green ones- called Zols- swarmed them from the left, while blue ones- called Bots- swarmed them from the right. Din and Link slashed and hacked away at the gooey creatures, but this only cut each Bot into two smaller slimes called Bits, and each Zol into two smaller Gels. To make things even worse, more and more of the oozing slimeballs kept rising out of the swamps.

"Link, they're overwhelming us!" Din yelled. "there must be hundreds of them!"

"It's even worse than that, Din!" Link replied, turning pale.

Behind all the other Chuchus, a third type arose. Their bodies sparking with electricity, a row of Buzz Blobs closed in on the two of them.

"Link!"Din screamed."If those things touch the swamp water, they'll cook us alive!"

"I know!" Link yelled back, zapping away at all the Chuchus with his sword beam.

Just then, a voice called out from the edge of the Chuchu swarm. "Have no fear! A REAL hero is here!" A familiar figure in a blue cloak and hat came running up.

"What the... Ralf!?!" Link yelled in suprise. "What in the Name of Faeore are you doing here?!?"

"Ralf?" Din asked in surprise. "You mean that loser who always hangs around Nayru?"

"A loser? HA-HA!" Ralf replied. "Would a loser do... THIS?" He threw a stange-looking staff at Link, who caught it. "Recognise that little item, Link?"

Link's eyes went wide. "It's a cane of Byrnia!" The Hero smiled. "Din, get behind me!"

The Oracle moved behind him, and Link used the staff to create the magical force field known as Nayru's Love. Surrounded by the force field, Link and Din made their way out of the Chuchu Swarm. Whenever a Chuchu tried to jump at the shield they were vaporised. But just when the two of them had gotten out of range of the Chuchus, the Cane of Byrnia crumbled to dust.

"Oops" Ralf laughed nervously. "Guess I shouldn't have bought such a cheap model."

Link rolled his eyes. "RUN!" He yelled, as the three of them fled the area as fast as they could go.

---

After the three had made it away from the Chuchus, they decided to set up camp for the night. Din got a fire going, and the three of them sat down to talk.

"So what brings you to Hyrule, Ralph?" Link asked.

"A bunch of monsters kidnapped Nayru, and brought her to Hyrule." Ralph replied. "I've tracked her to Mirodo palace, and I was on my way to save her when I ran into you two."

Link looked over at Din. "We have to try and save her." The Oracle of Seasons only nodded in reply.

"Wait, I don't need the Help of a wannabe hero to save Nayru." Ralf answered arrogantly. "You'll only get in the way, just like you did when Nayru was possessed by Veran!"

Din looked over at Ralf. "You listen to me, _little man_... when Onox and Veran attacked, Link saved both Nayru and I, and pretty much the entire world... while you were running around Labyrinia, getting beat up by monsters." Her eyes burned with anger. "He is a true hero, and while Nayru may put up with you shooting your big mouth off, I will not."

She looked him right in the Eye. "I am the Oracle of Seasons, named after the Goddess of power herself. If you don't keep your blasted mouth shut, I''ll freeze you... make it it rain on you...and finish you off with a bolt of lightning!"

A look of fear in his eyes, Ralf gulped, and sat down quietly.

Link sat in stunned silence for a few minutes, before replying. "...Okay then, it settled. We'll go to Mirodo palace, and rescue Nayru in the morning. For now... let's get some sleep."

---


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13-

As the three of them snuck up on Mirodo palace, Ralf had to struggle to keep up with Link and Din. As they came up through the swamp, they found a troop of Vires flying by, and ducked down into the grass to avoid being seen.

"They're swarming all over the place!" Ralf said nervously. "How in the name of the Goddesses are we going to get in?"

"Very carefully." Link replied. Reaching into his back, the Hero drew out two magic cloaks. "I bought these while back in Saria town. They'll render us invisible so we can sneak inside."

"But there's only two of them... and three of us!" Ralf exclaimed.

"Din and I can squeeze beneath one... you will use the other one."

Din's face turned a deep red, but she only nodded, and said nothing. Donning the cloaks, the three of them made their way towards the entrance.

Link and Din were able to move quietly enough, but Ralf kept stumbling over his own feet. Finally they were able to make it to the platform elevator, that would carry them down into castle's interior. The monsters were surprised to see the platform begin to descend with no one on it... but they quickly decided it must have been some sort of malfunction, and went back to their patrol.

---

Deep in the palace's interior, they quietly moved forward, undaunted by the ominous darkness and gloom of the palace's interior.

"Boy, this place looks homey." Din said sarcastically.

"Expect for the monsters, no one has lived here for centuries." Link replied, looking around. "These castles were used as fortresses during the resettlemnt of Hyrule after the flood, then abandoned when the countryside became safe again."

Looking at the walls, Ralf noticed a torn tapestry that depicted an endless ocean, and sailing ships going from island to island. On another wall, he saw a pair of old rusted cutlasses hanging side by side. "All I see is a bunch of old junk from Hyrule's pirate days during the flood."

"You would do well to learn from the past, Ralf." Link admonished him. "It's a lesson my family learned long ago."

"Whatever." Ralf mumbled in an annoyed voice.

Link ignored his complaining, and turned his attention back to the Oracle who was under the cloak with him. "I hope you're not uncomfortable under there, Din. I'm sorry about this predicament, but there were only two people in our party when I bought these cloaks."

Din looked up at Link, who was pressed tightly against her. "Oh, it's no problem, Link... I don't mind it at all!" Having him this close, Din could feel the warmth of his body, hear the gentle beating of his heart...

_"No, not now, Din!" _She told herself. "_Wait until after we've saved Nayru!" _But now, she was determined to tell Link how she felt when this fight was over.

They had just crossed a bridge, when their cloaks suddenly began to crumble around them.

"The cloaks' magic has run out!" Din exclaimed. "They're giving out... and burning up!"

"It was bound to happen anyway." Link shook his head. "Now, get your weapons ready, I hear something ahead."

As they crept forward, the group swore they heard... chanting. Ahead, they saw a bright light at the end of a dimly lit corridor. Staying out of sight, they peered into the entrance way.

"Wizzrobes!" Din hissed in anger.

"And they've got Nayru!" Ralf spat.

Sure enough, the Wizzrobes had Nayru chained up, hanging from the ceiling, and were standing around her in a circle, chanting some kind of Anicent spell in a language none of those present could understand.

"Don't worry, Nayru! I'll save you!" Impulsive as ever, Ralf leaped down, and rushed towards the captured Oracle.

"I wish he would have waited." Link said with a sigh.

"Ralf's as impulsive as a child." Din replied, rolling her eyes. "we'd better get down there and help him."

The two jumped down into the room, and rushed at the Wizzrobes. "_Good thing I picked up this mirror shield in Town." _Link thought silently. One of the Wizzrobes sent a fireball at him... and Link used the shield to send it flying right back at him, making the creature explode in a puff of smoke.

"Nice trick." Din told him. "But here's one Nayru taught me." Din concentrated for a moment, and was soon encased in an energy shield that protected her from the Wizzrobes blasts. She then leapt all around the room, hacking and slicing the evil sorcerers down with her blades.

"Nayru's Love" Link said with a smirk on his face.

"No, _I'm _Nayru's Love... and don't you forget it!" Ralf said defiantly. Rushing over to Nayru while the other two kept the wizzrobes busy, he cut her down with his small sword. "I got Nayru, but she's still unconscious! Let's get out of here!"

"You'll never leave here alive, human!" One of the wizzrobes hissed.

"We'll see about that, mage!" Link yelled back, as the three of them began fighting their way towards the exit.

---

Shadow Link couldn't believe it.

After centuries of searching, after scouring Hyrule of one side to the other looking for this place, the evil shade had finally found it.

The tomb of the heroes.

Built in days of Ganon's first defeat, this ancient crypt was one of the few buildings to survive straight down though every period of Hyrule's history. It's existence known only to a select few, it was the final resting place for all the heroes of the house of Link- and their families. The tomb looked like an endless room, with row after row of sarcophagi (above ground tombs) as far as the eye could see. The tombs were in pairs, with each Link being buried next to his wife.

As he passed the various crypts, Shadow Link glanced at many of the names on the graves. One Sarcophagus read _Hero of Twilight_, while the one beside it read _Henna the fisher-woman._

_"_Hm, his body must have been returned to Hyrule after his death." Shadow Link mused.

Looking at another Grave, the Shade saw _Hero of the Winds _written on it, with the grave next to it read _Medli._

_"_Good riddance, you tramp!" Shadow Link growled. "You tricked me.... and you nearly killed me, too!"

As he approached the center of the Tomb, he saw two large graves set above all of the others; one read _Hero of Time_ on it, while the one beside it said _Malon_. At the base of this tomb... he found wha he was looking for.

There, on a pedestal in the center of the room, sat many treasures used by the various Links. Among them sat the three objects Shadow Link was looking for: the three Spiritual stones used by the Hero of Time. Picking them up, he stuffed the Kokiri Emerald, the Goron's Ruby, and the Zora's Sapphire into the bag.

"Good... now, if the Zola can retrieve the Wind Waker, the Rod of Seasons and the Harp of Ages from the bottom of the Hylian sea... all I'll have to collect will be the four Transformation masks." He laughed to himself. "Soon, I'll have a weapon more powerful than the master sword itself!"

Suddenly, a foul wind picked up in the tomb, and the lids of all the Crypts rattled at once. In his mind, Shadow Link heard the voices of _all_the dead Links speaking:

_Begone from this place, Shadow Link... do not defile our graves with your foul presence._

At that moment, fear... _real fear_... filled Shadow Link's heart, and he fled from that place in terror. As he ran out the door, the Hero's shade materialized in the tomb.

_"Well done, my children." _The Shade told them reassuringly. "_As the magic of this place keeps teleporting it from place to place, he will never find the location of this tomb again."_ The spirit that was once the Hero of Time stared after the fleeing Shadow. "_But I truly fear what he has planned for our descendant."_

_"You must protect him, as you did all of us." _The Hero of twilight's voice rang out. "_It is your duty!"_

_"You're one to talk about duty!" _Henna's ghostly voice echoed. "_You ran away, and allowed Hyrule to be flooded!"_

_"That happened long after his death!" _The Hero of the Winds whispered. "_It's not his fault his son couldn't protect Hyrule!"_

_"No... but it fell to you to clean up his mess after Hyrule flooded!" _Medli's soul hissed at her husband. "_Stop defending his actions!"_

_"ENOUGH!" _Malon finally yelled out in disgust. The thunderous voice of the matriarch of the house of Link, caused all of the others to fall silent. "_This bickering is pointless! My husband will see to our child's well being, as he did with every one of you during your lifetimes!"_

_"Thank you, my dear."_ the Hero's shade replied, as he vanished from the tomb. "_I can only hope your faith in me... and in young Link... is not misplaced."_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14-

As the three of them fought their way out of Mirodo Palace... Link, Din, and Ralf hacked and slashed their way through the endless swarm of Vires that poured down on them. Each vire Link cut down split into two keese, and they were swarmed by more and more of the bat-like creatures. The Oracle of Seasons blasted them with wave after wave of Din's Fire at the tiny monsters, searing their flesh and boiling their blood. Finding an opening in the endless sea of enemies, Ralf made a dash away from the Palace, carrying the unconscious form of Nayru with him.

"Link! They're away!" Din yelled to the Hero. Nodding, Link held his sword back, charging the blade with magic... before unleashing the devastating might of the hurricane spin, cutting down dozens of the flying enemies that were in front of them, and clearing a path for Din to escape. It did not take long before the two of them were clear and away from the Ancient castle.

---

"That... was a close one." Link gasped out.

Din came over to the hero, and began looking him over. "Link... are you hurt? Did they wound you... or hurt you in any way?"

"No... I'm all right Din, thank you." He looked up at her strangely. "But... shouldn't we be worried about Nayru right now?"

Din blushed a deep red, turned away, and said nothing. Link merely shrugged, and walked over to where Ralf cradled the Unconscious Oracle of Ages in his arms.

"Is she going to be all right?" The hero asked.

Ralf nodded. "He has a few bruises, but once she wakes up, she'll be fine." He gave Link an apologetic look. "And I want to thank you for all of your help in rescuing Nayru. If it hadn't been for you and Din... I never would have been able to get her back."

"Don't worry about it." The hero replied, waving his hand dissmissively. "You two would have done the same for Din and I, were our roles reversed."

Ralf smiled. "Speaking of Din... I notice she just walked off when we started talking." He gestured away from the campfire. "I really think you should follow her, Link. Something tells me the two of you have some serious issues to discuss."

---

The Hero found Din waiting by a circle of trees father away from the encampment. She was looking away at the horizon, towards the fading glow of the setting sun. Link approached her slowly, unsure what to say.

"Din... are you all right?"

"I-I'm fine Link." She told him simply. "Just so terribly confused." She turned to face him. "I have something to tell you, Link... I-I'm..." She took a deep breath, and turned to face him.

"I'm in love with you, Link."

The hero was taken aback... not so much by the admission, but by the fact she had made it. He stepped forward, and put his arms around her. "I'm in love with you too, Din. I have been for some time."

Her arms came up to go around him, and they embraced. Pulling back, Din looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "But... why didn't you say anything, then?"

"You... said somone had broken your heart once before....and you still seemed hurt over the experience." He replied softly. "I didn't want to cause you any more pain."

"Link...I was hurt.. because you didn't come back after you saved Labyrinia." She gently caressed his cheek. "When I first found you unconscious in Holodrum, I stayed by your your side until you awoke again. I had a crush on you then, Link, but through the time we spent together... and then you saving me from Onox... my feelings began to grow stronger."

"But... I only left to train!" Link replied defensively. "I had no idea your feelings were that strong!"

Din gave a slight smile. "You wouldn't believe how jealous I was, when Zelda gave you that kiss right in front of Nayru and I." Din shook her head. "And when you left... I found it hard to trust any man, ever again."

"Zelda is, was, and allways will be just a friend, Din." Link told her firmly. "Besides, I was going to come back... but that incident with the Wind Fish..."

She raised a hand to silence him. "I know, Link. I was acting like a spoiled child... and I'm sorry." She rested her head against his chest. "But now that I know you have the same feelings for me... it doesn't matter anymore."

They stood there like that for a few minutes, until Link finally spoke up. "But why didn't you ever tell me you felt this way _before_ I left?"

Din Looked away. "You're a Hylian Hero, Link... I'm a half-breed Gerudo dancer. I didn't think..."

This time, Link stopped her. "Din... love is love. It shouldn't be dictated by race or scocial class!" Link looked her directly in the eyes. "I don't care who you are, or what other people think... that really doesn't matter to me."

"Oh, Link... I love you so much..." Thier lips drew closer together, and met each other in a passionate kiss. Time, space, and the world around them seemed not to matter, as they held each other tightly.

When they finally parted, Link pulled away, and went to look back down over the hill. "Looks like Ralf went to sleep already... we should head back."

He started down the hill, when a gentle tug on his sleeve stopped him. "Link... do we really have to go back right now?" Din said in a pleading voice. "We've already been through so much together... and Shadow Link's monsters have been hunting us like animals." She pulled him back into an embrace. "We could be dead tomorrow, Link."

Getting her meaning, Link turned a deep red. "B-but... I never..."

"That's okay." Din replied. "Neither have I."

Pulling Link back into a kiss, she pulled his shirt off, and ran her soft, delicate hands over his strong chest. Removing her Gerudo outfit, Link gently ran his fingers down the small of her back.

There, beneath the pale moonlight, the two of them expressed thier love for each other.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Link awoke with the morning sun shining down in his eyes. Blinking, he found himself laying on the dew-covered grass... with the lithe form of Din lying cuddled against his chest, asleep. The Hero of Cataclysm's eve smiled, and gently stroked her hair. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead." He said with a soft smile.

"Uggh... do we have to?" Din groaned. "I'm still hurting from-"

"All right then, you stay here." Link replied, gently pushing her off. "I need to clean up and get back to the campsite. Nayru and Ralf will wonder where we've gone."

Link stood up and grabbed his clothes. As he started to walk away, Din moaned. "Link?"

"What is it?"

Last night... was magical..."

"It was for me too, Din....." The Hero smiled. "See you down at the campsite soon."

Meanwhile, Nayru and Ralf had woken up earlier, and Ralf explained to the Oracle of Ages how Link and Din had helped him save her. They were both surprised to see their two friends were not there, and Ralf had begun to worry.

"I tell you Nayru, that must have been taken by monsters!" Ralf paced back and forth, in a panic. "We need to rescue them!"

"Calm down, Ralf, they're probably fine!" Nayru stood over the fire, cooking breakfast. "They probably just went out early to gather firewood together."

"Good Morning , everybody." Link walked up, a smile on his face. From the look of him, he had just bathed in a nearby stream, and had a big smile on his face. "How is everyone this morning?"

"We're both fine, thanks!" Ralf replied, looking around. "Hey have you seen Din anywhere?"

Looking at link's silly grin, it only took Nayru a moment to figure out what had happened. "oh....OH!" She put her hand over her mouth, and blushed a deep red. "LINK! YOU DIDN'T!"

"Didn't what? Wait..." Ralf stood there for a few minutes, before realization dawned. "Ohh, Link, you sly dog!" He laughed, then gave Link a slap of congratulations on the back. "I didn't know our goody two-shoes had it in him!"

Nayru only stood nearby in shock, scandalized. "Oh, Link... how could you?"

After getting herself cleaning herself up, Din came down to the campsite, groaning and smiling. It was then when she noticed the others all eating breakfast. Link and Ralf were talking over by themselves, while Nayru sat on the other side of the fire, scowling to herself. Din walked over to her fellow oracle.

"Hey Nayru, glad to see your up again after your ordeal with the monsters." She asked. "I haven't seen you since my last visit to Labyrinia, what's going on?"

"I'm not talking to you." The Oracle of ages scowled back.

"Wait, what did I do?" Din asked, puzzled. Nayru had always been her friend before....

"How could you?" Nayru asked in anger. "You and Link are not even married yet!"

"What business is it of yours?" Din asked, getting annoyed. "Link and I are both responsible adults!"

"It is immoral!" Nayru snapped back. "You don't see Ralf and I doing... that!"

"If I were in your shoes." Din replied sarcastically. "I wouldn't sleep with Ralf either."

"What's going on?" Ralf and Link asked simultaneously.

"Nothing." Both girls snapped, glaring at each other.

The two men looked at each other, then shrugged.

"So, from what Link tells me, you guys are trying to get the enchanted trophy back so you can save Ruto town, correct?"

Din nodded. "Yes, and also to stop Shadow Link's bigger plan... Which we haven't figured out yet."

"Yeah, we've run from one end of hyrule to the other trying to figure it out."

"Well then, that settles it!" Ralf decided immediately. "Nayru and I shall accompany you!"

The two girls scowled at each other at that, but Link replied. "Thanks, we can use all the help we can get!"

As Ralf sat down to eat, he asked. "Say Link, when I was travelling through southern Hyrule, I noticed that it older ruins and more swamps than in northern Hyrule. Why is that?"

Link shrugged. "Northern Hyrule is the old kingdom from before the great flood. When it was flooded, the people took refuge on the mountaintops, and live there for centuries. Eventually, Princess Tetra found a new land to the North, and made it the new kingdom of Hyrule. When the old southern lands eventually un-flooded, they were added to the northern kingdom, making the new Hyrule larger than pre-flood hyrule had ever been."

"Woah, Hyrule has one messed-up history!" Ralf replied with a laugh.

"Yeah.. there was even a time when one of the Zeldas was turned into a ghost, and travelled with one of my ancestors as spirit that could even possesses his enemies!"

"Yeah, right.... like I believe _that_..." Ralf said with a roll of his eyes.

"We really should really get going..." Din told the rest of them, getting impatient.

"Yeah, the air is starting to get a little foul around here." Nayru replied, staring at Din darkly.

The four of them packed up, and got ready to leave.

Link and Din's travel throughout the lands of northern Hyrule slowed down due to the addition of Nayru, who was still recovering from her abduction. As they continued traveling North, Din asked Link where they were headed now.

"Shadow Link's next target will be Parapa Palace, in the Northern Desert... I'm sure of it." The Hero's eyes narrowed. "So that's our next destination."

"Why would the monsters go there?" Nayru asked.

"It is the resting place of the last treasures that Shadow Link has not gotten his hands on yet." Link replied sternly. "The transformation masks used by the Hero of Time."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16-

"Hurry you idiots! We don't have much time!"

Within the tower of Hera, Shadow Link was furiously yelling at the Wizzrobes, who were busily at work chanting their spells over a dark cauldron. They were draining power from the various Ocarinas, Rods, Hourglasses, and Harps that the monsters had collected from over the great sea.. That potent magical power was being channeled into the large cauldron in front of them, from which would emerge the most powerful monster they had ever created.

"The process is nearly completed, my lord." One of the Wizzrobes hissed. "When it is finished, our new creation will be truly all-powerful!"

"But mindless!" Another one added. "It will have to be guided around by the hand, so to speak."

"That will not be a problem." Shadow Link replied with a dark grin. "I can order him around, so long as he has the power to bring destruction on all of Hyrule!"

"But why create this abomination, my lord?" The first Wizzrobe asked. "Why waste the most powerful enchanted artifacts in the world on creating an unstoppable mindless horror?"

"He will serve as a threat." Shadow Link replied. "One that will force The King to surrender both the kingdom and the Triforce to me!"

"Of course! Not even the hero stop an invincible foe!" The second Wizzrobe replied. "The king will have to give in!"

"Ganon will be very pleased, when I deliver the Hyrule to him on a silver platter." The Shadow commented darkly. "But I'll need to show the people just what they're up against… give them a taste of my power."

Shadow Link walked over to a large map of the Kingdom, and put his finger down on one of the towns. "And my first target shall be the village of Kakariko!"

As the vile shadow's laughter echoed through the tower, a gurgling groan emerged from the cauldron, indicating that something evil was stirring to life…

-------

"How much farther do we have to go?" Ralph whined.

"We'll be there soon enough, you overgrown baby!" Din snapped angrily. "Just shut up and keep walking!"

Nayru scowled at her fellow Oracle "Don't talk to him like that, you little whor-"

"That's enough, you three!" Link snapped, at the end of his rope. "We'll have enough trouble with the monsters, we don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves!"

The Four travelers were approaching the cave that leads to the desert, on their way to Papara palace. Link had figured that was where Shadow Link would strike next, trying to claim the four masks of transformation that were kept there.

"Link, are you certain he hasn't already grabbed the masks?" Ralf asked. "How can you be sure?"

"There hasn't been any reports of monster activity near the palace." The Hero replied. "I'd take a guess he hasn't sent any forces up there to collect the masks yet."

"But he will be after them… you can be sure of that." Din said warily. "But why would he take the masks? Those monsters can't use their transformation powers"

"They still have potent magic that can be siphoned off, and used in spells." Nayru replied. "My guess is he's taking all of these artifacts to the Wizzrobes to use in their rituals."

"He must be planning something big." Link added ominously. "We need to get to those masks."

As they entered the tunnel, Din activated her fire, providing light in place of a torch. As she led the way through the tunnel, the other three followed closely behind her. As they quietly moved though the dimly lit caverns, Ralph decided, as usual, to say something entirely stupid.

"Say, Link? I heard you got stranded on some island in the great Hylian Ocean after you left Laybyrnia." Ralph looked ahead through the darkness. "That true?"

"Ralph, why in the name of Din would you bring that up at a time like this?!?" Din asked in disbelief.

"No, it's alright, I don't mint talking about it." The Hero sighed. "Yes, the ship I was traveling on was caught in a storm, and I washed up on an island named Kolnohoit."

"That must've been horrible!" Nayru replied. "were there people on the island?"

"Yes, but they were all dreams… illusions of the wind fish's mind." The light of Din's flames flickered off of Link's sad face. "Like the whole island, a creation of the Wind Fish, the great spirit of the Northern Oceans."

"Oh yeah! I heard he was trapped in his own dreams by monsters!" Nayru replied.

"Yes… Dethl, the demon of Nightmares, trapped him in a nightmare, then created a horde of monsters to keep the wind fish trapped. I got caught up in that dream… pulled in by the Wind Fish, who wanted me to rescue him."

"So nothing on the island was real?" Ralph commented. "Wow, that must have been freaky. How did you get out of there?"

"I had to do the usual dungeon trolling, slaying each of the boss nightmares as I went." The Hero sighed. "Some of the monsters and talking Animals I encountered there were really bizarre."

"Hey, there were talking animals in Labyrina!" Nayru protested.

"Yeah… the ones I saw there, were probably a mental echo of the ones who loved listening to your singing." Link laughed. "They even had a singing girl they loved listening to…" Link suddenly trailed off, and looked away. They could hear the pain in his voice as he had trailed off.

They all walked through the dimly lit cave in silence, until Din finally spoke up. "Link… this girl you mentioned… was she important to you?"

"Marin was one of the sweetest girls I ever met. Her voice- her laughter… it haunts my every waking moment." Link's voice started to crack as he spoke. "All she ever wanted was to fly away from that island… to see the world… to sing for other people in other places."

As the Hero fell to his knees, Din came up and put her arms around him. Looking down, Ralf blurted out. "But she was only a dream, Link. An illusion."

"I know that… but it didn't make her any less real to me. And to see her wiped from existence… to know that by waking the Wind Fish… by doing the right thing… I helped end her life, dream on not…" He squeezed his eyes shut, and fell into his silent sobbing.

"Link, I'm so sorry." Nayru replied, looking down at him through the darkness. "I had no idea…"

"C'mon, you guys, let's get out of this dark cave." Ralf told them. Nayru and Din helped Link back to his feet, and then sent him ahead with Ralf, who had now lit his lamp.

As the two girls hung back, Nayru told Din. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know what Link was going through." The Oracle of Ages shook her head. "I was such an idiot, you two should be free to make your own decisions, despite what I or anyone else thinks."

"I do agree with you on that issue, Nayru... but Link and I love each other." Din looked over at her blue-haired friend. "We're going to stay together... I'm sure of it!"

"But... doesn't the spectre of Marin hang over your relationship?"

"I already knew about Marin, Nayru." Din laughed at that. "I have no need to fear the memory of a dream."

--------

As they emerge from the cave, the four came out into the hot desert sun.

"Ahhh, back in a gerudo-friendly environment at last!" Din exclaimed, running though the sand with her arms open.

"She looks happy enough." Ralph replies with a smirk.

"Can't say I feel the same." Nayru complained. "Let's get to the palace and get out of here, I feel like I'm starting to wilt in this heat!"

"How the heck does a desert even exist this far north?" Ralf asked incredulously.

"Gotta love Hylian climates!" Link replied with a smirk.

As the four of them made thier way through the shifting sands, the Two Oracles began to get the uneasy feeling they were being... watched.

"Din... do you..." The Oracle of Ages asked.

"Yes... I feel it, too." The Oracle of Seasons replied.

As they approached within sight of Parapa, Link began to notice what looked several... eyes... looking at him from within the palace. But each eye was only a single eye... not a pair of eyes.

"What in the name of Faeore?" The Hero exclaimed, puzzled. "Ralf... you see that?"

Ralf squinted, looking at the palace. "Yeah, it looks like a bunch of tongues sticking out at us from the darkness."

"Tounges? Eyes?" Link's eyes got wide. "Everybody, get back! It's a swarm of _Ghinis_!"

As the ghosts came pouring out of the palace, Link and Ralf drew their swords, and got ready for the fight of their lives.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17-

The people of Hyrule heard the rumble coming from death Mountain, and saw the dark cloud swirling over the massive Mountain range. Many thought the dormant volcano was coming back to life, while others thought rhe evil king Ganon had returned to life, and was marshaling his forces for an attack on Hyrule.

It was to everyone's surprise when the black cloud swept down from the mountain, and poured throughout southern Hyrule. As the noxious fog spread through Kakriko village, plants began to die, then animals. A feeling of death spread through the village, as people began to cough and gag.

"Help me!" One old man cried, before collapsing.

"Mommy, what's happening?" A wide eyed little boy asked his mother.

"The end of everything!" His mother replied, holding her child tightly.

Suddenly the people of the village began to die. Men, women, children, infants, all of them perished as the evil cloud... _consumed _them. Flesh was torn from bodies, and buildings dissolved into dust. The flute boy who had been trapped in the Dark World and his father, the young bug catching boy... all perished in a wave of agony and torment. As the hissing black cloud swept away from what had been Kakariko village, only a vacant spot was left. It was hard to tell that there had ever been a town there to begin with.

The cloud wasn't done, however. It swept into Hyrule Castle, devouring the knights and soldiers who guarded the royal family. The walls of the palace melted away under the vile pestilence, and Hyrule Castle was no more. Not satisfied with all it had devoured, the cloud spread across all of Southern Hyrule. The desert temple, the Eastern Palace, the Sanctuary... all were devoured as the creeping death reduced everything in it's path to dust. All lands south of death mountain became a wasteland, emptied of life of any kind.

"YESSS!" Shadow Link roared triumphantly, watching the scene from atop death mountian. "All those deaths, all that carnage! The desruction I have long craved has been unleashed on the pathetic Hylians!"

"Wh-what is that?" Horsehead asked in fear. Ganon's generals were beside the evil Shadow, having been summoned there at Shadow Link's request. "It destroyed everything!"

"It is called the Void Monger." Shadow Link hissed triumphantly. "It is the physical manifestation of all the Hate and rage of every living thing in Hyrule."

"It devours everything in it's path, killing all life and destroying everything in it's path." Carrock said with admiration. "But how did you get the Wizzrobes I loaned you to make it?"

"Remember all of those enchanted artifacts I stole from all over the Kingdom?" Shadow Link said with a Smirk. "I drained all of the magic off of those magical trinkets to create the monstrosity you see below us."

"So you use funny cloud to force king to turn Hyrule over to us?" Gooma asked. Shadow Link and all of the generals present were well aware the Royal family had been away from the Royal palace on a diplomatic visit, and therefore survived it's destruction. "Or you threaten to unleash cloud on rest of Hyrule?"

"No, I can't control the cloud anymore." Shadow Link replied sadistically. "It will spead to the rest of Hyrule- consuming everything it's path. From there, it will to Holodrum, Labyrinia, Termina, and the rest of the world!"

"What? That will kill all life on the surface of Hylia!" Helmethead roared, drawing his blade. "We will all perish in it's wake!"

"Calm yourself, you overgrown Iron Knuckle!" Shadow Link hissed. "We will be safe here on the mountain, and the cloud will soon dissipate once it no longer has any anger to feed it!"

"But what about lord Ganon?" the dragon Barba roared, coiled up nearby. "Our master wishes to return to rule this world, not destroy it!"

"When our master returns to life again, he will have no trouble claiming all three pieces of the Triforce." Shadow Link replied defensively. "With thier power, he can create a new world, and Shape it into whatever he sees fit."

The Thunderbird lowered her head, and stared directly at Shadow Link with her wild, sparking eyes. "This is a bold plan you have, Shadow! Yet, it does have some potential of success! For your sake, you had better pray to our evil master that it works."

-Papara Palace-

"Link! Watch your Back!" Nayru yelled out. The Hero spun around behind the gosht that had been trying to sneak up on him, and hit it with a back slice. the spirit wailed, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

In Northern Hyrule, Link and his companions were desperately trying to fight off a pack of Gihnnis, who were trying to prevent their entry into Papara Palace. They had managed to defeat twelve of the ghosts so far, but the malignant spirits just kept coming.

Ralf slashed one Ghini, making it vanish. "Killed another one!" He yelled in triumph. "These things go down easy!"

"You didn't kill it, Ralf!" Lanaryu told him, hitting one with an arrow from the bow Link had given her, making it disappear. "You can only banish Gihnis and Poes, not kill them! They're already dead!"

"AW, who cares! I got them, didn't I?" Din, taking down another ghost with a ball of Din's fire, just rolled her eyes.

They continued to try and fight off the evil spirits that were surrounding them, but the Ghini's numbers were too great. When the vile apparitions had worn the companions down enough, the single eyed spirits stuck out their tongues, and began to drain the life out of the four of them.

"Ugh... Link.... I feel so weak..." The four of them dropped to thier knees, as the ghosts drained all of the life out of them. Closing his eyes, the Hero of Cataclysm's Eve prepared himself for the end...

Suddenly, a bolt of lighting came out of Papara, vaporizing several of the ghosts. When a second bolt came out, it caused the ghosts to scatter.

After a few minutes, Link pulled himself back up to his feet. "Din... Nayru... is everyone all right?"

"We're all right." Ralf replied sarcastically. "Thanks for asking."

"Link, who saved us?" Din asked, as Link helped her back to her feet.

"I think we're about to find out." Nayru replied for the Hero, pointing up at a glowing sphere in front of them.

"_Welcome travelers." _The orb greeted them in a feminine voice._ "I have been expecting you."_

"Who...who are you?" Din asked, staring at the ball of light. "You feel... somehow familiar..."

_"You know me very well, my child. I ask that you and your friends enter Papara, and all shall be revealed." _The orb moved backward, then vanished into the palace.

They all started to move forward, when Ralf interjected. "wait a second, should we really be trusting some spooky voice in a glowing orb?"

"She did save us from the ghosts." Nayru replied. She looked over at Link. "What do you think, Hero?"

Link looked over to Din, who hesitated at first, then slowly nodded. "I think we should go in. After all, what have we got to lose?"

"Our lives." Ralf groaned, following the other three inside the palace.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18-

As the four of them entered Papara, Link looked around nervously, expecting a monster ambush at any moment. He had to keep reminding himself to trust Din's judgement, and keep moving forward. Ralf stayed close to Nayru, keeing a protective watch over her, while Din wandered ever forward, a lost look on her face. She seemed to know excatly where they where they were going, so the others could only follow.

As they silently rode the elevator to the lower floor, Nayru's long ears suddenly perked up. "Link.... I feel a powerful presence down here." Following the mesemerized Din forward the columned halls of the palace, they soon came out of the Darkness, and into a large, well-lit chamber. There, they saw hundreds of Fairys flying around a large Fairy Fountain. The water fromthe small reflectice pool reflected off the ceiling, creating a beautiful moving pattern of blue.

"Amazing." Ralf gawked.

"I've been to many fairy fountains before." Link wispered. "Even the fountain of Venus, Queen of all Fairies. But I've seen anyting like this."

And there, from the center of the pool, emerged a great fairy- one unlike any that the Hero had ever seen. She wore a sublime red skirt, and had a pair of glowing transluscent wings coming out her back. Ears longer than any Hylian's, and red hair the color of Autum leaves. Both her wings and the room seemed to shift to the four colors of the Seasons. Awestruck, the four adventurers swore they had never seen a creature this lovely before in all of thier lives.

"Greetings, Oracles of the Ages and Seasons. Greetings, hero of cataclysm's eve. I have long been expecting you."

"Who.... who are you?" Din asked softly. "You feel so familar..."

"I should feel familiar to you, my child." The fairy said with a soft Smile. "For I am the Great Fairy of Seasons, the source of your power."

The four adventurers stood in shock for a moment, before Link bent down on one knee in reverence. "Great Fairy, we are deeply honored by your presence. We had no idea your fairy fountain was here. We came to Papara Palace to find-"

"My Fountain changes locations as often as the seasons change." The Fairy replied sadly. "And the transformation masks that you seek have been taken by your shadow."

The Hero cursed uder his breath, while Nayru asked. "But what does he intend to use them for?"

The water in the pool rippled, and created an image of Shadow Link's monstorous cloud. "He has stolen all the enchanted atifacts of Hyrule's past, in order to make this evil malignancy." The image rippled, and shifted to show the destruction of Southern Hyrule.

"Great Faeore!" Ralf wailed. "All those people!"

"Saralsha..." Link said sadly, staring at the image.

Din fought back against her sadness, and wiped her tear-stained face. "Great Fairy, how can we stop this evil from consuming Hyrule?"

"The power to stop this blight lies whithin my chosen Oracle, named for the goddess Din - it lies within you, my child." The great Fairy replied. "You must dispel the storm of evil with a mighty torrent of justice."

"We need to get to Death Mountian!" Link yelled. "I'm gonna take that shadowy freak down once and for all!"

"No need to rush out the door my Hero." The Great Fairy told him. "I, myself, shall transport you there."

Witout another word, the four adventurers then vanished in a flash of light.

-death mountain-

"Intruders! Intruders! Kill them! Destroy them"

"Look out, everyone! We're here, and we've got company!"

Link and the others had appreared near the entrance to the Tower of Hera, and all hell had immediately broken loose. Link and Ralf drew thier swords, and leaped straight into battle against the charging swarm of moblins and crashed on blade, and monster after monster vanished in explosions of smoke. Nayru held up an Ethier medallion- and launched a powerful barrage of light blasts that vaporized a horde of Keese warming down on them from the skies.

"Be careful, Nayru!" Ralf called out, stabbing a Bokoblin through the chest. "I don't want to lose you!"

"You too, Ralf!" Nayru replied, zapping an Iron Knucle. "Annoying as you may be, I don't wan't to lose you, ethier!"

Ralf looked up at her in shock, then grinned, and dove back into the meele in a righteous fury.

It was then that shadow Link emerged from the Tower, and began to approach the group. Link fulled away from the main fight, and marched up to his shadowy twin.

"Don't be stupid, boy." The Shadow scowled. "Many of your ancestors tried to vanquish me, and many more have perished on my blade!"

"I'm going to kill you, Shadow Link, for all the lives you've taken, and all the people you've hurt. " The Hero snarled. "I swear this time I'm going to kill you."

"We'll see about that!" the Shadow snarled back.

The two of them dove at each other, thier swords smashing up against each other with a clap of thunder. Link dodged a swing of the Shadow's blade, then rolled out behind him to cut him with a back slice. The Shadow parried the blow then jumped on the Hero's sword.

"That the best you've got?" Shadow Link snarled, slashing the Hero across the face.

"Aragh!" The Hero cried out, jumping backwards, and knocking the shadow off of his sword. Shadow Link lunged forward again, Forcing Link's the Hero back. "I'm not through yet!" Tossing his shield away, Link pulled out a Magic Hammer in his right hand. "I got this from the goron Tribe in Labyrinia... though I'm sure you recognize it!"

"The Megaton Hammer!" Shadow Link hissed. He Slashed the Hero again, and Link blocked him with the Master Swordand the Hammer. Link then slammed the ground with the Hammer, sending out a Shcokwave, and knocked the Shadow off of his feet.

Seizing the adventage, the Hero lunged at his shadowy opponent, and shatterted his shield with the Hammer. Knocking Shadow Link's sword away, he stood over the defeated monster.

"I know of your crimes throughout history." Link slashed at the Shadow across the arm. "This is for the hero of time!" He slashed him across the leg. "This is for the Hero of Wind's sister, Aryll!" He then stabbed him in the Abodemen and the jugular, spilling his black blood eveywhere. "And that's for the destuction of Karakiko and Katsuto towns!"

"AAAGGRAAAAHH!" Shaow Link wailed in Agony, as the Master sword chopped into him again and again. "Stop it! Just finish me, and end this torture!"

Standing over the Shadow with his sword drawn, Link looked like he was about to do just that. But then, he suddenly looked away, and walked away from Shadow Link.

"Wait, what're you-" It was then that Shadow Link noticed the Dark Mirror lying against a rock. T\He realized with horror that the Thrunbderbird and the other generals must have gotten it out of the Tower, and brought it out here.

_They had betrayed him._

The twilight Mirror was already gone forever, destroyed by Midna long ago! If this one was shattered too....

_"NO!" _Shadow Link screamed in a panic "DON'T!" "I'll let you live this time, Shadow Link." The Hero said calmly raising his hammer high over his head. He brought the hammer down on the Mirror of Darkness, shattering into a thousand unretrivable pieces. "But you had best take care of this life, for it is your last."

The Hero walked away, and left the wounded shadow to crawl away, drenched in a pool of his own blood.

Atop the Mountain, Din began to chant, summoning up a great wind that blew across Hyrule. The wind began to battle against the great cloud of death, and pushed back and forth against it in a great battle of nature itself. Finally, the Mighty wind began to push it out of the valley, and up towards the peaks of Death Mountain.

"Everybody, lets get out of here, _Now!_"

Link, Din, Nayru, and Ralf all fled into one of the Caves on Death Mountian. The cloud climed high onto the mountain's peak, and devoured the army of monsters that had taken refuge on the peak. Moblins, Goriyas, and Darknuts cried out in agony, and turned to dust. Even the mighty Tower of Hera came down with a mighty crash, dissolving into nothing as it fell.

Finally, having spent he last of it's rage, the great living cloud dissolved into nothing, and dissapated. The battle had finally come to an end.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19-

As the great cloud dissipated, Shadow Link looked out from the cave that he and the other monsters had taken refuge in. "Damned Hero" the villain snarled. "He has ruined everything!"

"I've been far too lenient with that bloodline over the last millennia!" The Shadow spat like a wounded animal. "The next time I face one of the Hero of Time's descendants, I swear it will be the last!"

"Indeed it shall." Phantom Ganon said with a dark smile, emerging from the cave behind Shadow Link. "With the last Mirror gone, the next time you die, there will be no way to conjure you back into existence!"

"You! Where were you! You should've been helping me!" Shadow Link pointed and accusing finger. "Now, with the mirror gone., you'll not be able to return either if you perish!"

"After over a thousand years of serving an insane, power-mad master who treats his minions like worthless pawns, I do not fear final death."

He put his hand on Shadow Link's shoulder. "You are mortal now…. No more 'get out of death free' cards." Phantom Ganon told him in a mock-patronizing tone. "The task that now falls to you, lad, is figuring out what do with the precious time you now have left… and how you're going to spend it."

Moving away from shadow Link, The Phantom floated out the entrance of the cave. "Come, the other generals have survived your little 'mistake' with the death cloud, and are making preparations to move our base inside a cave in Spectacle Rock. They are not pleased with you …with so many monsters dead, and the Tower of Hera now destroyed."

Shadow Link said nothing, then lowered his head, and followed Phantom Ganon out of the cave. The smug specter in from of him had no idea of the rage that burned within the Shadow's heart… nor did he have any inkling of how the next hero would bear the burnt of that rage….

….even if it cost him his very existence.

The battle was over.

Link, Din, Ralf and Nayru searched the caves of Death Mountain, and soon found stashes of treasure that the monsters had hidden there.

"These must be from all of their raids on Hylian villages!" Nayru mused.

Ralf looked out from one of the cave entrances. "Hey, Link! Look what I found in here!" The Hero went rushing in, and found the gold, glittering trophy Link had been looking for in the first place.

"The Gerudo trophy!" The Hero exclaimed. "Now we can wake up the people of Ruto Town!"

It wasn't long before they made their way down the mountain, and were soon headed north through upper Hyrule. As they entered the village, the trophy emitted a soft light, and the people began to awaken from their slumber. As everyone yawned and stretched, they felt as refreshed as if they had awoken from a long nap.

"Link, you did it!" Ralf exclaimed. "You saved the Town from an endless sleep!"

"But Sharalsha said the effects are permanent." Link replied sadly. "If we are to keep them awake, the trophy must remain here."

"I'm sure I can arrange that." Din told him. "My people wern't using it, anyway."

Link sighed, and looked over at Din sadly. "I'm just sorry Sharalsha wasn't here to enjoy this victory with us."

"His sacrifice was great, and he will be missed." Nayru replied.

"Why should I be missed?" The old sage asked, emerging from the crowd. "I'm right here, keeping a watch on the people of Ruto whilst they slept."

"Sharalsha!" Ralf exclaimed. "But... how did you escape southern Hyrule, old man?"

"We sages have a knack for surviving." The old sage replied with a twinkle in his eye. "I suvved in the caverns beneath the Eastern Palace. Although the palace was consumed by the death- cloud, I managed to survive in the depths."

As Sharalsha talked with Ralph and Nayru, Link looked to Din. "Din, I-I was wondering, after everything that's happened, are you going back to your life of wandering?"

The Gerudo dancer shook her head. "I think I'll continue to travel... but only with the man I love."

Link's face turned red, as Din leaned against his arm.

"Din?" The Hero asked her, resting his fingers on her chin. "Will you... marry me?"

"What do you mean?" Din replied, looking up at Link in suprise. "I already thought that was a given."

Smiling, Link reched in, and gave the Oracle of Seasons a gentle, warm kiss. The two of them laughed together, as they went forward to greet the awakening populaceof Ruto town.

The weeks that followed were a flurry of activity for the Kingdom of Hyrule. The royal knights finished off most of the monsters that remained in throughout the countryside. Life began to return to normal for the people in the towns that had survived Shadow Link's onslaught. It was decided the region south of Death Mountain that had been the original Hyrule- Including the Lost Woods, Lake Hylia, and Zora's falls- would be abandoned to the monsters. The Hyrulians had reclaimed and rebuilt that area once before after the flood, and had no desire to do so again.

With the Southern Castle destroyed, the Royal family had moved back into the North Palace, thier original home from the era Hyrule still had trains. It was here that Link, Din, Ralph, and Nayru came to tell the King and Princess Zelda of thier adventures.

"Well done, Hero!" King Harkinian exclaimed. "Once again, you have saved my lands from the braink of destruction!"

"Hey! We helped too!" Ralph grumbled, as Naryu shushed him.

"Yes! We own it all to you!" Zelda agreed enthusiastically. Her eyes focused on Link. "If there is any way I... we can repay you, please, let us know!"

Link looked back to Din, who smiled. "In that case, your majesties, I humbly request that Din and I's wedding be carried out here at the palace... and at royal expense!" A comment to which Zelda turned pale and looked like she was going to die, while the king merely looked amused.

In front of the eyes of the entire royal court, The Hero of Catalsym's eve held his half-gerudo fiancee in his arms, noy caring what anyone else thought or felt.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20-

The wedding was a gala affair.

The Chandeliers in the North palace were lit by a thousand candles, and everything was covered in white lace. The Hyilian nobility was there, dressed in their finest, and radiating with the warmest of fake smiles. The Hero's wedding was an event that everybody who was anybody wanted to be at.

It was only the bride that prevented this from being a prefect celebration.

Marrying a half-gerudo was bad enough, but to have her people show up at the palace as guests... that was something that was very difficult for the other guests to accept. The Hylians and the gerudo eyed each other warily from opposite sides of the Hall, glaring angrily.

Other guests were more well received. The Gorons of Holodrum and Labyrnnia came, and the blue clairvoyant Goron foresaw a prosperous and happy marriage for the couple. The Subrosians sent a Representative, as well... and the Subro celebrity Rosa was even serving as a bride's maid for Din. Even the Wind tribe came of thier great city in the heavens, invited due to their blood relation to the Hero.

"Here, let me straighten your tunic." Ralph, who was Link's best man, exclaimed. "You should be looking your best for your lovely bride!"

"I'm so nervous I could croak." Link replied. "A thousand battles with monsters doesn't prepare you for something like marriage!"

"No time for cold feet now, my boy!" The King told him, patting him on the back. "Now you must be brave like a warrior, and face the challenge head on!"

"I only wish my uncle were here..." The Hero sighed.

Just then, a scream emerged from the reception hall, and Link and the others rushed out to see what was going on. To thier suprise, several of the guards were holding back a group of Zola who were trying to enter the palace.

"Halt Monsters!" One of the guards yelled. "Come no futher! You are not invited to this wedding!"

"Of course we are!" The largest of the River Zora- King Zola- stepped forward. "It has always been the custom for the ruler of the Zora tribe to attend the weddings of the house of Link!" He hissed at the guard. "We demand the Ancient privilege!"

"What in the name of Faeore is he talking about?" Ralph asked incredulously.

"The Zola are the River Zora, lad." The King explained. "In ancient times, the Zora Race split into three factions- the Peaceful Ocean Zora, who live as much out of the water as they do in; the Fishmen of the great Sea, who draw maps and charts for Mariners with the paint brushes they carry in their mouths; and the Hostile River Zora, who serve Ganon and his minions of evil."

"Since the Ocean Zora perished during the hero of the Winds time, the Zola took over Zora's domain after the flood." Link finished for him. "King Zola believes his people have inherited the right to all the Zora's customary privileges in Hyrule."

After a tense few minutes, the Hero stepped forward, and shook King Zola's green, scaly claw. "Of course you are welcome at my wedding. your majesty! Aftyer all, you are the one who sold me the Zora flippers in Hyrule's time of need." Link gestured to the seats. "Please, would you and your entourage please have a seat?"

Smiling a large, toothy grin, King Zola and his escorts sat down near the Hylian nobility. If the Gerudo weren't enough to upset these stuck up snobs, the sight of these green scaly Zoras with webbed ears certainly was. One duchess even fainted dead away at the sight.

Back in the brides chamber, bridesmaids Rosa and Nayru put the finishing touches on Din's red gown. Zelda simply sat over in the corner and fumed, staring and saying nothing.

"You, like, look absolutely gorgeous, Din!" Rosa squealed in her valley-girl accent, putting the bows on the wedding gown. "You'll totally be the bestest bride evar!"

"You look lovely indeed, my friend." Nayru added, brushing the Oracle of Season's hair. "And I want to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be your maid of honor!"

"Thank you... both of you! I never could have pulled off this wedding without your help!" Din told them, her eyes tearing up. "You're the best friends any girl could have ever asked for!"

As the three girls embraced in a tearful hug, Zelda stared at the three of them in anger. It should have been _her _marrying the Hero, not some Half-breed Oracle! Wither they loved each other was beside the point, the princess was supposed to marry the princess, that's just the way things were!

Refusing to help Din prepare even though she was her three bride's maids, Zelda swore the couple would find no peace if they tried to live in Hyrule... she would see to that! They would have to settle in some place like Cantalia if they wanted any peace.

Being a princess had it's political advantages...

"Link... it's time, let's go."

Link and Ralph went out to wait for the ceremony to begin. Soon the music began to play, and the Bride began to walk down the aisle. Her lovely red dress and Veil seemed to fit her perfectly. She was lead down the aisle by King Harkinian, who was giving Din away in place of her deceased father. Entranced, the Hero believed at that moment that the Oracle of Seasons was far lovelier even than the goddess who shared the same name. As Din arrived at the altar, Link took her by the hand.

It was Saralsha, great Sage of Hyrule, who performed the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of the goddesses..." The rest of what he said was lost on the couple's ears, as they stared deeply into each others eyes. They were only aware enough of their surroundings to say two simple words...

"I do"

"I do."

"Then by the power invested in me by the kingdom of Hyrule, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride!"

The Two locked lips, and Din through the bouquet over her head, towards the cheering crowd. But it only made it as far as Nayru, who caught it just as Ralf grinned at her. The Oracle of the Ages turned a deep red, knowing by the look in his eye, that she would be attending another wedding very, very soon.

"Ahhhh! What a spectaular wedding! And to think I wasn't invited!"

It was at that moment that Phantom Ganon exploded into the room, arriving in a fiery puff of smoke. Many in the crowd screamed and ran, while the Knights and warriors grabbed their weapons, and ran towards the villain.

"What do you want, you monster!" Link yelled angrily, taking Din in his arms protectively. "How dare you interrupt my wedding!"

"Now, now! I'm only here to give my blessing... or rather my curse!" He pointed his shadowy finger at the happy couple. "Know this... within twelve Generations of your children, the next Hero in your bloodline shall be born! But he shall be an arrogant imbecile, the Stupidest Hero hyrule has ever known!The Princess of Hyrule shall hate him, and his courage shall be a feeble minded one! This is my curse upon the House of Link... may it haunt your family for generations to come!"

The warriors took aim with thier bows, and the Seven Maidens- descendants of the Seven Sages- all cast thier attack spells. The arrows and spells all struck Phanttom Ganon at once, destorying him once and for all. The villian made no effort to fight back, and even seemed to laugh as he perished in a puff of smoke.

Din sat there sobbing, with the Hero of Cataclysm's Eve cradling her in his arms. Both now faced an uncertain future, terrified of what was to come on what was supposed to have been the happiest day of their lives.

_The End_


End file.
